APEX(Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender) Model: An Emerging Tool for Agricultural Environmental Analyses

The agricultural policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model was developed by the Blackland Research and Extension Center in Temple, Texas. APEX is a flexible and dynamic tool that is capable of simulating a wide array of management practices, cropping systems, and other land uses across a broad range of agricultural landscapes, including whole farms and small watersheds. The model can be configured for novel land management strategies, such as filter strip impacts on pollutant losses from upslope crop fields, vegetated grassed waterways in combination with filter strip impacts, and land application of manure removed from livestock feedlots or waste storage ponds. The APEX model has continually evolved since its inception, and the process of adaptation and modification will likely continue as use of the model expands for an ever-increasing range of environmental problems and conditions. Several improvements to specific model subroutines have already been initiated, while other potential improvements have been identified that will require future research and code modification efforts.