Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Best management practices, or BMPs, are cost-efficient processes and activities that improve many aspects of daily life, from healthcare to food service. Agricultural BMPs aim to reduce water use and water quality impacts on farms and ranches while improving or maintaining soil. Additional BMPs focus on forestry practices and lawn care. In Florida, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) adopts by rule specific BMP manuals as a part of the state’s water quality policy.
Narrower Topics
Related Topics: Best Management Practices (BMPs), Citrus BMPs, Pine Flatwoods
Publications
2021 Handbook of Florida Water Regulation: Agricultural Best Management Practices
FE600/FE600 by Michael T. Olexa, Tatiana Borisova, and Jana CaraccioloJune 21, 2021This handbook is designed to provide a summary of the principal federal and state (Florida) laws that directly or indirectly relate to agriculture. Because these laws are subject to constant revision, portions of the handbook could become outdated at any time. The reader should use it as a means to determine areas in which to seek more information and as a brief directory of agencies that can help answer more specific questions.
Best Management Practices in the Everglades Agricultural Area: Fertilizer Application Control
SS451/SL-232by T. A. Lang, S. H. Daroub, O. A. Diaz, and M. ChenFebruary 27, 2024This EDIS document is one in a series of publications that provide current implementation guidelines for commonly employed BMPs that target the reduction of P loads leaving EAA farms via drainage water. This document is SL-232, a fact sheet of the Soil and Water Science Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date January 2006.
Carrot (Daucus carota) Production in the Sandy Soils of North Florida: Nitrogen Fertilization Guidelines
AE588/AE588by Morgan Morrow, Vivek Sharma, Robert C. Hochmuth, Charles Barrett, and Marina Burani-AroucaAugust 9, 2023This publication discusses carrot growth characteristics and provides nitrogen fertilizer best management practices for carrot crops growing in north Florida. The nitrogen management guidelines presented in this publication are based on multiyear field-based research conducted by UF/IFAS. Written by Morgan Morrow, Vivek Sharma, Robert C. Hochmuth, Charles Barrett, and Marina Burani-Arouca, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, July 2023.
Fertilization and Irrigation Needs for Florida Lawns and Landscapes
EP110/ENH860by R. Klein, A.J. Lindsey, M. McMillan, J. B. Unruh, and M.D. DukesJuly 17, 2023Florida Friendly Landscaping™ Best Management Practices (BMPs) for management of commercial and residential lawns and landscapes were developed by scientists with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). These BMPs assist homeowners and professionals in making management choices that will help sustain lawns and landscapes in Florida without impairing Florida’s water resources.
Homeowner Best Management Practices for the Home Lawn
EP236/ENH979 by Alex J. Lindsey, Marco Schiavon, J. Bryan Unruh, and Laurie E. TrenholmDecember 12, 2023A healthy lawn is an important component of an urban landscape. Not only do lawns increase the value of a property, but they also reduce soil erosion, filter stormwater runoff, cool the air, and reduce glare and noise. A healthy lawn effectively filters and traps sediment and pollutants that could otherwise contaminate surface waters and groundwater. This publication is intended for those who maintain their own lawn and landscapes.
The Basics of Agricultural BMPs in Northern Florida and Southwestern Georgia
FR437/FOR368by Martha C. Monroe and Charles BarrettAugust 12, 2021Best management practices (BMPs) are cost-efficient processes that improve daily life, from healthcare to food service. Agricultural BMPs aim to reduce water use and improve water quality and soil on farms and ranches as well as to encourage better forestry practices and lawn care. This fact sheet introduces non-farmers to agricultural BMPs.
Total Maximum Daily Loads and Agricultural BMPs in Florida
AE388/ABE362 by Kati W. Migliaccio, Kelly T. Morgan, Brian J. Boman, Sandra Guzman, and Haimanote BayabilAugust 26, 2019
Related IFAS Blog Posts
2023 Best Management Practices: Grain Corn Variety Trial
Sydney WilliamsSeptember 11th, 2024Background Florida’s Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) is a comprehensive framework for restoring water quality by reducing pollutant loading in water bodies. The Suwannee Valley region is home to 62 first- and second-magnitude springs and 113 lesser-magnitude springs. Agricultural fertilizer is the primary contributor (~68%) of nitrogen load, necessitating more efficient management practices. The goal […]
Why the Grass Is Always Greener on the Neighbor’s Side Of The Fence
Stephanie MeansSeptember 6th, 2024New to Florida and lamenting the low maintenance lush green lawn you left behind? HOA breathing down your neck to fix your problem areas? You’re not alone. Growing grass in Florida is not like growing grass in many other parts of the country. Keeping grass healthy, green, and weed-free here requires quite a bit of […]
Developing Best Management Practices for Nitrogen in Carrots Using Controlled Release Fertilizer
Sydney WilliamsAugust 9th, 2024Carrot is a relatively new and emerging crop in North Florida with about 5,000 acres grown annually in the region. The acreage increase over the past 10 years in North Florida and South Georgia is largely due to the influence of water related issues in California. Growers and packers had to search for alternate production […]
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