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4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification program launched

More than 250 agricultural retailers and stakeholders from the Ohio, Indiana and Michigan agriculture communities attended the launch of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification program last week in Perrysburg. The Ohio AgriBusiness Association is administering the program on behalf of the Nutrient Stewardship Council.

The voluntary program is geared toward the long-term improvement of Lake Erie’s water quality by applying the 4R principles. The 4R approach – using the Right Nutrient Source at the Right Rate and Right Time in the Right Place – serves as the guideline for the new certification program being administered in the tri-state area.

“The program has several features that will make it very effective in reducing the problems with algae blooms in Lake Erie,” said Bill Stanley, assistant director of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio and a member of the Nutrient Stewardship Advisory Committee. “Most important are a set of scientifically rigorous standards developed with industry and academic involvement, as well as independent, third-party audits to ensure that those standards are followed.”

Agricultural retailers, service providers and other certified professionals attended a session featuring a panel of pilot project participants discussing the various reasons why a voluntary program is important. Those interested were able to sign up for the certification program on-site.

“As ag retailers, we have to be proactive in finding ways to improve water quality, and the 4R certification is a tool that will pay off in a big way,” said John Oster with Morral Companies. “We believe that by enacting this, we will become part of the solution, and we know we can fix our part and make things better.”

A press event consisted of two panels with retailers, farmers and public officials, including David Daniels, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and Craig Butler, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

“We shouldn’t proactive stewardship because of the threat of regulation, but because it’s the right thing to do,” said Agribusiness Council of Indiana President Beth Bechdol, who lives in the Lake Erie watershed on her family’s farm.

The first phase of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program will begin this summer. For more information, visit 4Rcertified.org, email info@oaba.net or call 614-326-7520.

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1 Comment

Bob Sunderman   on Tuesday 04/01/2014 at 08:12 AM

This is a great start to being involved in protecting our environment without the heavy hand of government regulations. To shun this program would be a direct invitation for more government oversight and development of regulations that may not make sense.

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