4 Va. Admin. Code § 5-15-60 - Examination
A. The department
shall administer nutrient management certification examinations at least once
per year. The examinations shall require a demonstration of the ability to
prepare a nutrient management plan. The department may limit the number of
applicants taking the examination based upon available examination
space.
B. Applicants for
certification shall achieve a passing score on each of the parts of the
nutrient management certification examination to become eligible for
certification.
C. The examinations
for persons involved in agricultural nutrient management shall address the
elements listed below. To address nutrient management on urban land uses,
specialty specific examinations may be added to or substituted by the
department for the elements below.
1. General
understanding of overall nutrient management concepts such as nutrient cycling
on farms, the purpose of nutrient management planning, economic aspects of
nutrient use, and components of a nutrient management plan;
2. Basic soil science concepts such as soil
physical and chemical properties including texture, structure, organic matter,
and horizon development, and how such characteristics influence crop
productivity and adaptation, water runoff, and infiltration;
3. Environmental management concepts such as
the water cycle, nutrient loss mechanisms, environmental effects of nutrients
in waters including Chesapeake Bay, identification of high risk sites relating
to nutrient use and appropriate nutrient management practices to reduce
nutrient losses;
4. Nutrient
sampling, testing, and analysis such as basic sampling procedures, relationship
of soil test level with the likelihood of crop response, soil nitrate testing,
manure and biosolids sampling and interpretation, and determining nitrogen
supplied by legumes;
5. Basic soil
fertility concepts such as relationship of soil pH to nutrient availability and
toxicity, essential elements for crop growth, limiting factors to crop
production, cation exchange capacity and related concepts, nutrient cycles, and
forms of nutrients in soils;
6.
Fertilizer management concepts such as types of fertilizers, nutrient analysis
of common materials and grades, basic calculations and blending, calibration of
equipment, and application methods;
7. Manure management concepts such as
nutrient content and volume produced, determination of plant available
nutrients, selecting sites for manure application, proper timing and placement,
coordination of fertilizers with manure, application methods and
calibration;
8. Biosolids
management concepts such as determination of plant available nutrients,
nutrient content, forms of nutrients, types of sludges, coordination with
fertilizer applications, and application methods;
9. Nutrient management training and
certification regulatory requirements, and requirements of other nutrient
management related laws, regulations, and incentive programs; and
10. Development of multiple components of
nutrient management plans and completion of calculations comparable to
development of nutrient management plans such as, but not limited to,
determination of specific soil types in fields, determination of specific
nutrient requirements based on soil productivity and soil analysis results,
evaluation of field limitations based on environmental hazards or concerns,
timing of nitrogen applications, phosphorus nutrient management planning
methods and assessment techniques, and interpretation of manure analysis
results.
D. An
individual who is unable to take an examination at the scheduled time shall
notify the department at least five days prior to the date and time of the
examination; such individual will be rescheduled for the next examination. The
department may consider accepting notice of less than five days due to
individual hardship situations on a case-by-case basis. Failure to notify the
department may require the individual to submit a new application and payment
of fees in accordance with
4VAC5-15-40.
E. The department shall establish acceptable
passing scores for the examinations based on the department's determination of
the level of examination performance required to show minimal acceptable
competence.
F. All applicants shall
be notified of results in writing within 60 days of the completion of the
examinations.
Notes
Statutory Authority
§ 10.1-104.2 of the Code of Virginia.
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