ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Abstract. In 1999 the Florida Watershed Restoration Act implemented the TMDL program in Florida. Best Management Practices for agriculture must be adopted by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) rule. Growers using these practices are presumed in compliance with water quality standards. In 2005, revisions were made that required BMPs to receive an initial verification of effectiveness from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) before FDACS could begin the rule adoption process.

This paper discusses the process developed for FDACS production of commodity-based BMP manuals and the DEP collaboration and review to ensure that the manuals meet the legislative intent of pollutant reduction and environmental stewardship. Matrices of references were developed to log the sources reviewed in generation of the manuals. A simple model was developed using individual practice ratings from the USDA Conservation Practice Physical Effects (CPPE). The model helps to provide the reviewer and the FDACS authors with confidence that the manual addresses all pollutants of concern at an appropriate level despite the wide variability in climate, soils, types of agriculture, farm sizes, and available resources found in the state.