What can watershed science teach us about designing more effective phosphorus policy?

In this episode of the PhosForUs Policy Series, host Barira Rashid sits down with her PhD advisor, Dr. Rebecca Muenich, whose research connects watershed modeling, nutrient management, water quality, animal agriculture, and phosphorus sustainability.

They discuss what policymakers may overlook when phosphorus is managed one farm, permit, or practice at a time; how legacy phosphorus complicates expectations for water-quality improvement; and why better monitoring is essential for informed decision-making.

The conversation also explores Barira’s research using remote sensing and artificial intelligence to identify and monitor animal feeding operations. What began as a geospatial research problem has developed into broader questions about manure phosphorus, environmental data gaps, watershed impacts, agricultural sustainability, and policy.

Together, Barira and Becca consider how improved AFO information could support phosphorus management, whether policy has kept pace with phosphorus recovery and circularity, and what researchers can contribute to decisions beyond academia.

FEATURED RESEARCH AND FURTHER READING

Gaps in U.S. Livestock Data Are a Barrier to Effective Environmental and Disease Management
Rebecca Muenich, Barira Rashid, and colleagues
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adb050

Machine Learning-Based Identification of Animal Feeding Operations in the United States on a Parcel Scale
Arghajeet Saha, Barira Rashid, and colleagues
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178312

The Spatial Organization of CAFOs and Its Relationship to Water Quality in the United States
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128301

Effective Nutrient Management of Surface Waters in the United States Requires Expanded Water-Quality Monitoring in Agriculturally Intensive Areas
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00060

Unlocking the Phosphorus Circularity Potential of Corn Belt Watersheds with Biorefinery Phosphorus-Recovery Incentives
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.124010

Closing the Phosphorus Loop: A Spatial Analysis of the Potential for Wastewater-Derived Fertilizers to Meet U.S. Agricultural Demand
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180851

Topics discussed: phosphorus policy, phosphorus management, nutrient management, watershed modeling, water quality, animal feeding operations, manure phosphorus, agricultural sustainability, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, phosphorus circularity, nutrient recovery

What does phosphorus policy actually look like beyond regulations and legislation, and how do institutions shape the outcomes we see on the ground? In this episode of PhosForUS, hosts Alison Deviney (Postdoctoral Researcher, STEPS Center) and Barira Rashid (PhD Candidate, University of Arkansas) sit down with Jay Rickabaugh, Assistant Professor of Public Administration at North Carolina State University, to explore the governance side of phosphorus sustainability.

Together, they discuss how phosphorus is managed across different agencies, sectors, and scales, the challenges of coordinating agricultural, environmental, and water quality goals, and what the recent designation of phosphorus as a critical mineral could mean for future policy discussions. They also examine how institutions, incentives, and decision-making structures influence phosphorus outcomes, and where opportunities exist for more integrated and systems-oriented approaches.

Whether you work in environmental policy, agriculture, sustainability, or resource management, this conversation provides a foundation for understanding one of the central questions facing phosphorus sustainability today: how can governance systems better support long-term environmental, economic, and societal outcomes?

Topics discussed: phosphorus policy, environmental governance, public administration, critical minerals, water quality, nutrient management, sustainability policy, systems thinking, and phosphorus sustainability.

What does phosphorus policy actually look like on the ground, and who gets to shape it? In this season premiere of PhosForUs, hosts Barira Rashid (PhD Candidate, University of Arkansas) and Hector Fajardo (PhD Candidate, NC State University) sit down with Jonathan Coppess, Associate Professor of Agricultural Policy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, to unpack how phosphorus shows up in U.S. farm policy, from conservation programs and nutrient management plans to the economic pressures farmers face every day.

Together, they explore the tension between phosphorus as a critical food security resource and a water quality threat, ask whose voices shape agricultural phosphorus policy, and look ahead at what questions still need deeper attention, including nutrient recovery, circular nutrient use, and better coordination between agriculture and environmental goals.

Whether you work in agriculture, environmental science, water policy, or just want to understand how nutrient management decisions get made, this episode sets the foundation for a season built around one big question: how do we govern phosphorus better?

Topics discussed: phosphorus policy, environmental governance, public administration, critical minerals, water quality, nutrient management, sustainability policy, systems thinking, and phosphorus sustainability.

Welcome back to the PhosForUs podcast! We are beginning this season with a special episode, featuring the Managing Director, Maude Cuchiara and the Director, Jacob Jones, reflecting on the vision behind STEPS Center and the meaning of Phosphorus Week.

In this conversation, they share personal insights, the evolving role of phosphorus in shaping food systems and policy, and why this moment matters for building a more connected, forward-looking community around phosphorus sustainability.

Hosted by Barira Rashid

The Everglades Agricultural Area in South Florida is the home of the most unique and fertile soils in the country—organic-rich Histosols with over 80% organic matter. These soils, once part of a vast wetland ecosystem, have been drained over the past century to support agriculture, especially sugarcane, rice, and vegetables. But beneath this productivity lies a hidden concern: decades of phosphorus fertilizer use have created a massive reserve of legacy phosphorus.

Hosted by Xue Bai and Anik Mahmud. Music by Lucas Crane.

In this episode, Dr. Luke Gatiboni, professor and extension specialist in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department at NC State, shares insights from his research on phosphorus management. The story of phosphorus fertilization in Eastern North Carolina unfolds, beginning with the region’s unique coastal soils and the historical build up of legacy phosphorus from decades of agricultural use. The episode highlights the Tidewater Research Station, a key site for long-term fertilization experiments that have helped shape current understanding of phosphorus dynamics in crop production. From past practices to present-day challenges, the discussion dives into how researchers are managing phosphorus for both productivity and environmental sustainability in one of the state’s most important agricultural regions.

Hosted by Jiangfeng Xu and Hector Fajardo. Music by Lucas Crane.

Dr. Gatiboni website

https://cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-sciences/people/lcolpog/

 Deviney etal., 2024 paper on TBL sites:

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10429

Tidewater Research Station website:

https://cals.ncsu.edu/research/research-stations/tidewater-research-station/

Phosphorus dynamics within any system can be complex, but none are more complex than urban systems. The STEPS Center has established one of its key Triple Bottom Line (TBL) scenario sites as the Central Arizona–Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) site, which considers the unique dynamics between the urban metropolis of Phoenix and its peri-urban, rural, and environmental surroundings. In this episode of PhosForUs, we chat about phosphorus dynamics in urban settings, including recovering phosphorus from urban waste streams, modeling of phosphorus flows within urban scenarios, and identifying future trends in engineering, technology, and regulation that can drive phosphorus dynamics.

Hosted by Lucas Crane, Maheen Mahmood, and Minhazul Islam

Link to Metson et al., 2012 paper discussed in the episode: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/11-0865.1 

Link to Deviney et al., 2024 paper on TBL sites:

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10429 

Link to previous PhosForUs podcast episode on urine diversion: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nP8IOo0r7MCFidYco5WjC?si=CwDSAL0zQceUS2jnGZs5SA 

Bathrooms are in nearly every building and the infrastructure has not changed much. But what if bathroom infrastructure changed the way phosphorus was recovered? In a previous episode, we talked about how urine can be a resource instead of a waste and in this episode we take a long term view on the future of urine diversion technology and its place in modern buildings. Josephine talks with Dr. Boyer and Dr. Merck to understand the engineering and social perspective of this technology. Who knows, toilets may look a little different in the future!

The STEPS Center uses tools called boundary objects to help build convergence capacity – that is, the ability to effectively co-create new knowledge – across its multidisciplinary research community. This episode is an introduction to one of those boundary objects, the Triple Bottom Line Scenario Site, also known as TBL Sites. TBL Sites are geographic locations that, for STEPS at least, encompass a phosphorus flow in a particular ecological setting. These sites provide researchers with access to resources, data, and stakeholder networks, as well as specific contexts related to phosphorus management. In this episode we will introduce you to the concept of the TBL Site and how the STEPS Center is using these boundary objects to learn about phosphorus challenges, and to test new ideas and innovations. Future episodes will take a deeper look at the current TBL Sites.

Hosted by Smitom Borah and Alison Deviney

Featuring (in order of appearance) Maude Cuchiara, Natalie Nelson, Paul Westerhoff, Jacob Jones, and Jay Rickabaugh. 

Link to the transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19rXZ7Mw6Bk1J5Qz38PoqyYq7DFoAO8w2vRO4QyOX0bM/edit?usp=sharing 

Link to the background music: https://pixabay.com/music/funk-energetic-funky-groove-138634/

In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Deanna Osmond, professor in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department at North Carolina State University. We explore Dr. Osmond’s career in nutrient management, focusing on the challenges of phosphorus sustainability in agriculture. The discussion covers her involvement with the SERA 17 initiative, the creation of environmental phosphorus thresholds, and the development of tools like the Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool (PLAT) and the Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST). Dr. Osmond also shares her thoughts on the future of phosphorus management and offers advice to young researchers. 

Hosted by Lily Kyle and Hector Fajardo. Music by Lucas Crane.

Resources links: 

Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool (PLAT)

Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST)