Nutrient stewardship has become an important issue in the Lake Erie Basin, so  much so that ag retailers have been investing both time and money in a voluntary nutrient stewardship certification program. And starting in 2017, retailers across the state will be eligible to participate in the program no matter what watershed they work in.

Protecting water quality is important across Ohio, says John Stark, Ohio freshwater conservation director for The Nature Conservancy, during a recent program launch. “This is not just a western Lake Erie issue. It’s showing up in a lot of places.”

About 2.7 million acres and 5,600 farmer-customers are being served by the 34 retail facilities that have earned 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification. “We’ve had some great success with this program in the Western Lake Erie Basin,” says Chris Henney, Ohio AgriBusiness Association CEO. The program provides a consistent, verifiable standard for nutrient service providers based on the 4R nutrient stewardship principles: right source of nutrients, right rate, right place and right time. The certification program is voluntary, but participating companies must invest in additional recordkeeping and pay for required audits. The program is governed by the Nutrient Stewardship Council, which is made up of representatives from businesses, universities and government agencies, as well as agricultural and environmental organizations. It is administered by the Ohio AgriBusiness Association.

David Myerholtz, who farms in Sandusky County, has been working with one of the 4R-certified retailers, The Andersons, on nutrient management for his farm. He appreciates the team approach to improving nutrient management. “It’s an opportunity to learn to advance yourself before it becomes mandatory,” he notes. He’s using a variety of production practices that reduce the chances nutrients will leave his land and threaten water quality, including subsurface application with strip tillage, multiple applications across the growing season, application of gypsum to enhance soil health and improve phosphorus retention, and use of cover crops on no-till soybean ground. Advances in technology have made it possible for farmers and retail suppliers to be more precise with nutrient application, he adds. “We’ve got the technology, let’s use it.”

Craig Butler, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, pointed out that improving water quality is not a job for agriculture alone. He spends much of his time dealing with wastewater treatment plants and other pollution point sources. However, it will take efforts from everyone involved, including those in agriculture, to improve water quality, he says. Butler also advocated the use of “adaptive management” to address water quality problems while continuing with research on the causes and solutions. “We don’t know all the answers, but we know enough to get started in the right direction,” he says.

The next step in Ohio’s water quality improvement effort will be evaluating the progress made by voluntary, collaborative efforts such as the 4R Certification program. “To continue with this approach — to say we’re doing the right thing — we have to show progress,” says Butler.

Deadline approaches for Ohio’s ag fertilizer application certification

While the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification program is voluntary for agricultural retailers, farmers who apply their own fertilizer are required to participate in a separate certification program. Legislation passed in 2014 requires fertilizer certification for farmers who apply fertilizer to more than 50 acres of agricultural production grown primarily for sale. Manure is not included in the requirement. If a co-op or other custom applicator is hired to make the fertilizer applications, the farmer does not need the certification.

“This is the year everybody has to be certified,” says David Daniels, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Although training is required for the certification, farmers who have already become certified have found the training to be valuable, he says. A survey of participants found 93% improved their knowledge of regulations and nutrient management. Based on the training, 56% planned to change their nutrient practices. Knowledge about nutrient management is continuing to improve, so farmers need updated information, Daniels says. For instance, the understanding of how phosphorus moves in soil has changed in recent years.

The deadline for certification is Sept. 30. Daniels says 12,000 people have been trained, but an additional 6,000 to 10,000 still needs to be trained.

 For more details on the certification requirements and information on training sessions go to nutrienteducation.osu.edu.