WSDA’s New Nutrient Management Library: A New Tool for Navigating Nutrient Management Resources
A new tool from WSDA makes it easier to find publications focused on nutrient management for Washington crops.
December 5, 2025
Author: Adam Peterson, WSDA
If you've ever gone searching for science-based guidance on nutrient management for a specific crop, you know it can be a bit of a scavenger hunt. With over 300 different crops grown statewide, Washington agriculture is incredibly diverse. Guides are constantly being updated with new research. Finding a particular publication for a specific crop can sometimes be a challenge.
We've been there too, which is why the Washington Soil Health Initiative has put together a curated Zotero library designed to make this process a whole lot easier.
What Is It?
In short, it's a one-stop collection of extension publications focused on nutrient management for crops grown in Washington state. We've reviewed extension libraries from land-grant universities across eight states. These states include Washington, along with Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, and Alaska. We pulled together the most relevant and up-to-date guides into a single, searchable library. As of now, the collection includes 331 publications and continues to grow.
We originally built this tool for internal use at WSDA. But we realized it could be valuable for anyone working with fertilizers and crops. That includes researchers, growers, consultants, or agency staff like us.
Each entry in the library links directly to the hosted publication. Accessing the full guide is as simple as a double-click. No more hunting through multiple websites or wondering if you’ve found the right document.
Why Zotero?
For those unfamiliar with it, Zotero is a free, open-source reference management tool. It's widely used in academic and research settings. Its flexibility makes it a great fit for this kind of curated resource library. The open-source nature of Zotero means we're building on a stable, adaptable platform. It’s also laying the groundwork for additional tools and applications that are currently in development. More on that down the road!
What's Included?
The library focuses specifically on publications relevant to crops grown in Washington. Agriculture varies across the West. Some crops are grown more intensively in neighboring states. In some cases, that’s where you'll find the most comprehensive nutrient management guidance. That's why we've cast a wide net across eight western states. We also made a point to include crops of all scales. Whether you're growing apples or wheat, kiwiberries or cranberries, there's a good chance you'll find something useful here.
Each publication in the library has been selected because it contains information related to nutrient management for the respective crop. That might be a guide solely focused on nutrient management. It might be a comprehensive crop guide with a section on nutrient needs. The common thread is steering users of this library to practical, research-based guidance that can inform nutrient management decisions.
Staying Current
One of the biggest frustrations with online resources is broken links and outdated information. We've built in regular maintenance to address both. Every link in the library is verified on a weekly basis. You shouldn't run into dead ends. We also check for newly released publications every month, adding relevant guides as they become available.
When building this library, we drew on official crop lists and technical guides as a starting point. But one advantage of using a dynamic platform like Zotero is that it makes keeping the collection current much easier than static documents that can become outdated over time.
The goal is for this to be a resource you can rely on. You should be able to find all extension-related guidance touching on nutrient management for crops grown in the state.
Easy Navigation with Tags
Finding what you need is straightforward. The library uses a tagging system that lets you quickly filter publications by crop. Looking for everything related to onions? One click and you've got a focused list. Interested in cover crops or legumes? Same idea. Or if you’re just curious what crops are in the library, just browse through the list.
Once you've filtered by crop, you can also sort the results by publication date or by which university extension published them. The tags make it easy to zero in on what you’re looking for without filtering through hundreds of entries.
A Window into the Resource Landscape
One unexpected benefit of building this library has been the bird's-eye view it provides of extension resources across the region. As we've compiled and organized these publications, patterns have emerged. Some crops have a wealth of guidance available (multiple publications from multiple states, covering various aspects of production and fertility). For other crops, there may be limited or no guidance.
This kind of visibility is valuable. It helps us identify where resources already exist and where there are gaps that might warrant development of new materials.
Check It Out
Our goal has been to build a curated, maintained, and easily navigable collection of the best available guidance on nutrient management for Washington crops. Whether you're a grower looking for practical recommendations, a crop consultant pulling together resources for clients, or just someone who wants to understand the science behind fertility decisions, we hope you'll find it helpful.
You can access the library here: https://www.zotero.org/groups/5834929/wsda-hosted-fertilizer-guides-public/library
Take a look, explore what guides are available for your favorite crop, and let us know what you think!
Adam Peterson
Adam Peterson is an agronomist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture who helps WA growers improve their fertilizer and irrigation efficiency.
This article was published by the Washington Soil Health Initiative. For more information, visit wasoilhealth.org. To have these posts delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the WaSHI newsletter. To find a soil science technical service provider, visit the Washington State University Extension website or the Washington State Conservation District website.