Sample CAP 138 Plan

CAP 138: Conservation Activity Plan Supporting Organic Transition

What is a CAP 138?

A Conservation Activity Plan (CAP) can be developed for producers to identify conservation practices needed to address a specific natural resource need. While there are several types of CAPs, CFSA specializes in CAP 138s, which help farmers who are interested in transitioning to organic production by addressing the natural resource concerns on their operation.

CAP 138s are also known as a Conservation Activity Plan Supporting Organic Transition.

A CAP is your farm’s ticket to address site-specific natural resources needs with financial assistance from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). A CAP 138 also provides the nuts-and-bolts of your Organic System Plan for organic certification.

 

Thinking About Growing Organic? You Need a CAP 138.

The CAP 138 will:

• Address NRCS resource concerns for soil erosion and quality, water quality, and plant/animal health on the farm by developing a farm stewardship plan.
• Develop the linkage between NRCS resource concerns and the National Organic Program (NOP) standards for organic farming.  This linkage is possible because NRCS and NOP share many of same concerns related to farming in an environmentally sustainable manner.
• Assist the grower in developing their Organic System Plan (OSP) as defined in the USDA NOP Standards.
• Identify and provide detail for specific conservation practices, such as nutrient management, cover cropping, rotations, and pollinator habitat that are appropriate to the transitioning farm.  As a transitioning organic farmer, you are eligible for many of these conservation practices, which can be implemented with financial assistance from NRCS.

Not only does CFSA have a Technical Service Provider on-staff who can do your CAP 138, but we also offer rebates to growers in the Carolinas ranging from $250 to $1000.

One more thing for a farmer to do is not always easy, so we want to stop telling you what a CAP 138 is, and instead, show you with a sample farm plan. While a whole CAP can be 100+ pages, these are some highlights that your CAP 138 may contain.

NOTE: Not all CAP 138s contain the same elements, so the sample below does not guarantee that your plan will have the same features.

 

SAMPLE CAP 138:

• Detailed farm maps

• Resource Concerns and Conservation Practices 

Sample: CAP 138 Overview

In this sample farm plan, CFSA identified several resource concerns, including practices that could result in soil erosion and organic matter depletion, lack of irrigation for farm crops, potential off-farm nutrient movement, suboptimal productivity, and potential pest problems. We recommended a comprehensive rotation, a water well and micro-irrigation system, cover crops for N fertility, conservation cover for beneficial insect and pollinator habitat, mulching, a high tunnel, and a rotational grazing pasture. We included a nutrient management plan for the producer.

Now, this farmer can apply for NRCS cost-share funding to implement these conservation practices on his or her farm!

• Vegetable Rotation Plans

Sample: Vegetable Rotation and Cover Cropping Plan

For this farm, CFSA developed an eight-year vegetable and cover crop rotation plan for all eight vegetable production fields. For example, in year one, field 1a, we recommend planting sweet corn; winter biomass is provided by rye, summer biomass by buckwheat. We include cover crop plant dates and kill dates. In the second year, the farmer will plant peppers, following a rye and vetch winter cover crop. There’s no summer cover crop that year, but in the fall an oats/rye/radish will be planted. The third year is watermelon followed by a sunn hemp summer cover crop. Five more cropping years follow

NRCS has funds available to underwrite cover cropping practices on organic vegetable farms.

• Crop Rotation Plans

Sample: Crops Rotation and Cover Cropping Plan

Like the vegetable rotation schedule above this plan provides a cover cropping rotation plan for crops. For example, in field 5a, CFSA recommends planting corn grain as the first crop with a double crop of wheat. The winter source biomass is provided by rye and the recommended summer cover is cowpea (corn/cowpea/wheat).  We include cover crop plant dates and kill dates. The next year, the plan is to double crop canola following the wheat. A soybean/millet summer cover crop provides N for the canola.

NRCS has funds available to underwrite cover cropping practices on organic row crop farms.

• Nutrient management plans for cropping components

Sample: Nutrient Management Plan

Overall, the nutrient management plan for the farm includes these components: 1) use of poultry litter when soil phosphorus (P) content and timing of application relative to harvest permit; 2) use of legume cover crops, both winter and summer annual, for fixation of nitrogen (N) for use by subsequent crops; 3) green manuring with legumes, grasses and forbs to improve soil quality, hence production; 4) rotations to efficiently utilize nutrients and promote crop health; 5) use of commercially available organic fertilizer materials to meet crops nutrient requirements when necessary, including soluble fertilizers
injected into drip lines.

• Nutrient budgets and risk assessments

Sample: Ginger High Tunnel Nutrient Budget Worksheet
Sample: Tomato and Baby Greens High Tunnel Nutrient Budget Worksheet

Sample Farm is interested in trying ginger, tomatoes, and baby-greens in high-tunnels, so CFSA researched these vegetables’ nutrient needs and developed recommendations for P, K, Total N, Pre-plant N and Side-dress N. We did some math for the farmer to calculate application rates (per 100 square feet or row feet) for NOP approved inputs, such as feathermeal, Nature Safe, Harmony, rock phosphate, bone meal, and others.

High Tunnels are another excellent cost-share opportunity through the NRCS.  

• Detailed soil report

Sample: Custom Soil Report

For this farm, CFSA identified the types of soil on the farm, created soil maps, and evaluated soil erosion risk. Soil physical properties, qualities and features and soil water characteristics are included in the report.

• Erosion reports

Sample: Erosion Report

This is an important component of the plan used to identify resource concerns and develop conservation management recommendations.  For example, on this farm, solutions to resource concerns include pollinator habitat, warm-season grass field borders, long-term eight-year vegetable crop rotations, hybrid bermuda grass pasture for rotational grazing and high tunnels.

The CAP 138 can also include: 

• Pollinator habitat management plan
• Management calendars
• Job sheets for implementing conservation practices

 

Other Perks

Another selling point is that growers in North or South Carolina get financial assistance to address natural resource concerns while also filling out your Organic System Plan!

As part of the CAP 138 process, our TSP will out your farm’s OSP, the same one required by the National Organic Program. This means that once your CAP 138 is completed, your OSP will be ready to be submitted to your certifier.

 

You get money to do the plan! And the plan helps you qualify for additional NRCS cost-share money for implementing identified conservation practices.

The CAP 138 is funded through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative (EQIP). CFSA has a Technical Service Provider (TSP) on staff who is certified by NRCS to write CAP 138 plans for transitioning producers. 

• The EQIP pays for TSP’s to write CAPs.
• Payments for CAPs are made directly to CFSA. Because CFSA has a paid, certified TSP on staff, CFSA is able to provide a cash rebate to producers who contract with CFSA to do a CAP plan.
• The value of the rebate varies, depending on the CAP, the producer’s experience and background, and any associated lab fees.

As mentioned above, growers in North and South Carolina who complete the CAP 138 process will receive rebates that range from $250 to $1000–depending on funding year and historically underserved (HU) producer status.