Nutrient management plan · Rules
Is a nutrient management plan required? What the rules say
The short answer
In England, yes, in two ways. Under the Farming Rules for Water, every farm has to plan fertiliser (fertilizer) and manure use against what soil and crop need, with soil test results no more than five years old. Inside a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), you also need a nitrogen plan for every crop and field before you spread, and you keep your records for five years. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules. In the US, there is no single national plan: an official NRCS 590 plan is signed by a certified local planner.
England: all farms
Farming Rules for Water
Since 2018, every farmer in England has had to meet the Farming Rules for Water. They cover how you manage fertilisers (fertilizers), manures and soil.
The first rule is to plan applications in advance, so they meet the needs of the crop and the soil without going over them. To do that, you need soil test results that include the pH and the levels of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, and that are no more than five years old when you plan the application. Nitrogen can be assessed from the soil nitrogen supply instead of sampling.
A soil test that is zoned and read properly is what lets you plan by field, or by zone within a field. It is also the groundwork for variable rate spreading (VRA, or VRT in the US).
England: NVZ
Inside a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone
In an NVZ you must plan every nitrogen application, crop by crop and field by field (grass included), and keep the plan with your farm records. Part of the plan is done before your first application, and part before each application.
The main limits, from the government guidance:
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| Winter wheat, sown in autumn or early winter | 220 kg N/ha (196 lb/acre), for a standard yield of 8 t/ha (119 bu/acre). You can add 20 kg N/ha (18 lb/acre) for each tonne your expected yield is above the standard |
| Potatoes | 270 kg N/ha (241 lb/acre) |
| Livestock manure | 170 kg N/ha (152 lb/acre) per year, as an average over the whole holding |
| Organic manures, any single hectare | 250 kg N/ha (223 lb/acre) of total nitrogen in any 12 months. Manure dropped by grazing animals does not count |
| Closed period, manufactured nitrogen fertiliser, tillage land | 1 September to 15 January |
| Closed period, manufactured nitrogen fertiliser, grassland | 15 September to 15 January |
| Records | Keep all fertiliser use records for at least 5 years |
Source: GOV.UK, “Using nitrogen fertilisers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones”. Other crops have their own maximum.
Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
The rest of the UK
These nations have their own rules. In Wales, the 2021 regulations apply to all farms: nutrient management planning, fertiliser application and storage. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own nitrate rules. Check the ones for your holding. We do not summarise them here.
Grants
Schemes that pay for variable rate spreading
In England, the Sustainable Farming Incentive has had an action for variable rate application of nutrients (PRF1). It asks for a rate file made from zoned soil analysis, remote sensing or a sensor. The 2026 round is closed to new applications (update of 22 September 2026), so we give no amount here.
A zoned soil analysis and a variable rate map are what schemes that fund variable rate application ask for. Schemes open and close: check the current one. We do not promise any payment.
United States
Not an official 590 plan
This is not an official NRCS 590 plan. In the US, the official plans for NRCS programmes are made by a certified technical service provider, and a plan needed for a programme must be signed by a certified local planner. Our analysis can be the groundwork.
Outside those programmes, nothing we found at federal level forbids private, voluntary advice on nutrients. State rules differ, and we do not give pesticide product recommendations: those need a licensed adviser in your state.
Our role
What Tres60 analytics does, and what we do not do
Our nutrient management plan starts from your soil test and tells you, field by field, what the soil can supply and what the crop is missing. It does not replace your own plan or your records, which stay your documents.
We work remotely: you send your soil test, and we send back the interpretation, the balance, the plan and a variable rate map for the tractor. We do not promise any saving: the proof is the analysis of your own fields.
What farmers ask us
Your questions about nutrient plans
How long do I keep the records?
In an English NVZ, at least five years, including the laboratory reports.
My farm is not in an NVZ. Do I still need a plan?
In England, the Farming Rules for Water apply to every farm: you plan applications against soil and crop needs, with soil test results no more than five years old.
Which soil results count?
The pH and the levels of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. For how to read them, see How to read a soil test.
Is the grant for variable rate spreading open?
The 2026 round of the Sustainable Farming Incentive is closed to new applications. Schemes open and close: check the current one.
Can you make an official US plan?
No. It is not an official NRCS 590 plan. If you need one for a programme, it must be signed by a certified local planner; our analysis can be the groundwork.
Does your report replace my own plan?
No. It helps you prepare it with figures from your own fields, but the plan stays yours. Details on the nutrient management plan page.
Sources: GOV.UK: Using nitrogen fertilisers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones; GOV.UK: Applying the farming rules for water; GOV.UK: SFI26; GOV.UK: PRF1; USDA NRCS: Technical Service Providers. This text summarises the rules and is not legal advice.
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