PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA (2026)
Chapter: Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices
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Appendix C: PFAS Family Tree
Appendix D
Next Chapter: Appendix E: PFAS-Relevant Resource Concerns, Effects, and Rationale for Nine Conservation Practices
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29272.
Appendix D
Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices
The committee reviewed the entire list of practices included in the fiscal year 2025 version of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS’s) Conservation Practice Physical Effects matrix and identified 88 existing practices that could be further reviewed individually by NRCS for their relevance to PFAS contamination, transport, or fate.
TABLE D-1 Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices
| Practice | Practice Code |
|---|---|
| Amending Soil Properties with Gypsum Products | 333 |
| Animal Mortality Facility | 316 |
| Aquaculture Ponds | 397 |
| Channel Bed Stabilization | 584 |
| Composting Facility | 317 |
| Conservation Cover | 327 |
| Constructed Wetland | 656 |
| Contour Buffer Strips | 332 |
| Contour Farming | 330 |
| Contour Orchard and Other Perennial Crops | 331 |
| Cover Crop | 340 |
| Critical Area Planting | 342 |
| Cross Wind Ridges | 588 |
| Cross Wind Trap Strips | 589C |
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29272.
| Practice | Practice Code |
|---|---|
| Dam | 402 |
| Deep Tillage | 324 |
| Denitrifying Bioreactor | 605 |
| Drainage Water Management | 554 |
| Early Successional Habitat Development/Management | 647 |
| Feed Management | 592 |
| Fence | 382 |
| Field Border | 386 |
| Filter Strip | 393 |
| Fishpond Management | 399 |
| Forage Harvest Management | 511 |
| Grassed Waterway | 412 |
| Grazing Management | 528 |
| Groundwater Testing | 355 |
| Hedgerow Planting | 422 |
| Herbaceous Wind Barriers | 603 |
| Hillside Ditch | 423 |
| Irrigation and Drainage Tailwater Recovery | 447 |
| Irrigation Canal or Lateral | 320 |
| Irrigation Field Ditch | 388 |
| Irrigation Land Leveling | 464 |
| Irrigation Reservoir | 436 |
| Livestock Pipeline | 516 |
| Monitoring Well | 353 |
| Nutrient Management | 590 |
| Pasture and Hay Planting | 512 |
| Phosphorous Removal System | 624 |
| Pond | 378 |
| Precision Land Forming and Smoothing | 462 |
| Prescribed Burning | 338 |
| Range Planting | 550 |
| Residue and Tillage Management, No Till | 329 |
| Residue and Tillage Management, Reduced Till | 345 |
| Riparian Forest Buffer | 391 |
| Riparian Herbaceous Cover | 390 |
| Row Arrangement | 557 |
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29272.
| Practice | Practice Code |
|---|---|
| Saline and Sodic Soil Management | 610 |
| Saturated Buffer | 604 |
| Seasonal Water Management for Wildlife | 646 |
| Sediment Basin | 350 |
| Silvopasture | 381 |
| Sinkhole Treatment | 527 |
| Soil Carbon Amendment | 336 |
| Spoil Disposal | 572 |
| Spring Development | 574 |
| Streambank and Shoreline Protection | 580 |
| Stripcropping | 585 |
| Structure for Water Control | 587 |
| Subsurface Drain | 606 |
| Surface Drain, Field Ditch | 607 |
| Surface Drain, Main or Lateral | 608 |
| Surface Roughening | 609 |
| Terrace | 600 |
| Tree/Shrub Establishment | 612 |
| Underground Outlet | 620 |
| Upland Wildlife Habitat Management | 645 |
| Vegetated Treatment Area | 635 |
| Vegetative Barrier | 601 |
| Vertical Drain | 630 |
| Waste Facility Closure | 360 |
| Waste Separation Facility | 632 |
| Waste Storage Facility | 313 |
| Waste Transfer | 634 |
| Waste Treatment Lagoon | 359 |
| Water and Sediment Control Basin | 638 |
| Water Well | 642 |
| Watering Facility | 614 |
| Well Decommissioning | 351 |
| Wetland Creation | 658 |
| Wetland Enhancement | 659 |
| Wetland Restoration | 657 |
| Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management | 644 |
| Wildlife Habitat Planting | 420 |
| Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation | 380 |
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29272.
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29272.
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix D: Potentially PFAS-Relevant Conservation Practices." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. PFAS in Agricultural Systems: Guidance for Conservation Programs at USDA. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/29272.
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