4R in the News: Industry, retailers commit to cleaner water standards

Carrie Vollmer-Sanders talked water quality and 4R Nutrient Stewardship with Brownfield Ag News during the 2014 Farm Science Review in London, Ohio.

“Those responsible for much of the fertilizer sprayed on crop fields in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana are not farmers, but rather the farmers’ crop advisers and agricultural retailers,” wrote Danielle Stanton of the Toledo Free Press in a recent article highlighting the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program.

The voluntary program, which launched in March, is currently going through its first round of certifications, whereby entities mentioned above must go through an audit and demonstrate they are applying fertilizer in a responsible manner in accordance with the 4Rs — which refers to using the Right Source of Nutrients at the Right Rate and Right Time in the Right Place.

The certification program is a concerted effort to prevent applied nutrients from running off fields, which, as Stanton pointed out, “flow into tributaries, rivers and into Ohio’s biggest natural resource, Lake Erie. Among the nutrients is phosphorous, which is the main culprit in forming the toxic algae blooms responsible for a shutdown of Toledo’s water supply in August.”

Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, of The Nature Conservancy, who also serves on the Nutrient Stewardship Council guiding the program, said in the story, “There might be 100 farmers with one crop adviser. If we work with that one crop adviser so they are making the best recommendations, we have reached 100 farmers. It gets more nutrition management on the ground (and) we implement the 4R’s a lot faster.”

“We’re very proud of our work on this and we think it’s very important we all do our part,” said Chris Henney, president and CEO of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association, which serves as the program administrator.  “I think our program is one way to show we’re committed to being part of the solution. These companies want to show they’re committed and that they are very supportive of this program.”

Click here to read the complete story from the Toledo Free Press.