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The following article is from an archived newsletter. See our Shared Waters newsletter.

The 4R Approach: One Tool to Control Harmful Fertilizer Runoff to Algae-Choked Lake Erie

Nicole Frantz
A 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Pilot Audit.

 “4 R” programs in Canada and the United States are aimed at using agricultural fertilizers efficiently, based on best management practices. In other words, with the Right source, and at the Right rate, Right time, and Right place. The 4Rs encourage farmers to better manage their use of phosphorus, and following these practices may make a notable difference in curbing runoff that feeds Lake Erie algae problems.

In our Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority (LEEP) report, the IJC issued 16 recommendations to help eliminate harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie. Among them was the acceleration of outreach and extension programs promoting 4R practices and principles. The 4Rs

While the IJC recommends stronger regulations on fertilizer use, it also encourages voluntary measures like the 4Rs.

Best management practices are efficient and effective --- saving money for farmers by avoiding the waste of key nutrients while improving the water quality of Lake Erie.

Phosphorus, along with other nutrients, nourishes soil and optimizes crop growth. It becomes problematic when it runs off of farms and into waterways. In a lake, fertilizers accelerate the growth of algal blooms. In excess, these blooms disrupt the ecosystem and degrade the quality of drinking and swimming water.

That’s what happened in early August, when Toledo officials detected dangerous levels of an algae-related toxin – microcystin – in drinking water. This resulted in a “don’t drink” ban on water use for a half-million people, lifted after two days.

While runoff from farms is only one of a number of sources of excess nutrients in Lake Erie, it is one that can be largely controlled through smart agricultural practices.

Luckily for Lake Erie, 4R strategies have been recognized as effective management tools of farming practices for many years. That’s why some 4R initiatives had begun prior to the LEEP recommendations. Two of these initiatives have a chance to effect real change in nutrient levels in the Lake Erie basin: the tri-state 4R Stewardship Certification program being offered in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana; and the Farming 4R Watershed program in Ontario’s Grand River Watershed.

4R Stewardship

Since its March launch in Perrysburg, Ohio, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification has attracted an unexpected amount of interest. The voluntary certification program works with nutrient service providers to encourage the adoption of best management practices among agricultural producers.

To become certified, retailers must meet a number of criteria across three one-year phases. Year one involves education on 4R practices; year two records and monitors the implementation of these practices, and in year three, recommendations that have been reviewed by a certified professional are provided to minimize runoff while maximizing crop yield. Additionally, a third-party auditor ensures that providers are meeting their reported progress.

It is this high bar that raised concerns that initial adoption of the program would be low; nutrient service providers do not receive a financial incentive for becoming certified and incur costs throughout the process. However, early adopters said they were eager to “do the right thing” and ensure they were giving their clients the right advice. As well, a successfully-run stewardship program can be beneficial to retailers, because their expertise in application can save customers money through less-wasteful applications, increasing the value of their services.

Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, of The Nature Conservancy’s Western Lake Erie Basin Project, helped champion the creation of the certification program, and was recently honoured for these efforts by President Obama as a part of the “Champions of Change” program.

Vollmer-Sanders  says that credit for the initial success largely goes to those in the agricultural industry who have been involved from the beginning, working outside of their comfort zone with non-traditional partners.

A 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Pilot Audit. Credit: Randall Schieber, The Nature Conservancy.

A 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Pilot Audit. Credit: Randall Schieber, The Nature Conservancy.

Farming 4R

The Farming 4R Watershed program was a one-year pilot, rural-urban partnership and one segment of the larger Farming 4R Future program offered in five Canadian provinces. It started with $50,000 in funding to the Canadian Fertilizer Institute from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).

Launched in August 2012, the program supported existing efforts by the Grand River Conservation Authority to promote widespread adoption of agricultural best management practices. Roughly 70 percent of the Authority’s area is agricultural, and it is home to 1 million Ontarians who require clean, safe drinking water. The program offered farmers online access to expert information on best management practices through a suite of online tools provided by ClimateCHECK.

The program aim was to create what it calls a “cluster” of farmers, scientists, fertilizer and agri-business industry leaders, conservation experts, and governments to work together to improve fertilizer practices. The pilot of the Farming 4R Watershed program had a number of successes, including more in-depth engagement between the Authority and crop consultants and the cash crop industry than previously. Attendance at an initial workshop was higher than anticipated and the Authority was able to collect valuable feedback.

The pilot has now concluded, but the Grand River Conservation Authority’s Rural Water Quality Program will continue to help farmers achieve environmental milestones as it has for 17 years by providing financial assistance toward the implementation of best management practices on the region’s farms. This program and the Authority’s newly-developed Water Management Plan act as tools to promote best management practices. There is hope that in the near future incentives for the specific creation of 4R plans can also be provided.

The Grand River winding through farmland. Credit: Carl Hiebert, GRCA.

The Grand River winding through farmland. Credit: Carl Hiebert, GRCA.
 

Similar, different

There are similarities and differences between the 4R Stewardship Certification program in the U.S. and the Farming 4R Watershed program in Ontario. Both are fully supported by the fertilizer industry. The Fertilizer Institute, the Canadian Fertilizer Institute, and the International Plant Nutrition Institute are all active partners.

However, the scope of each program is different. The U.S. program covers the application in three states making up the Western Basin, while the Canadian program focused on one tributary draining into the Central Basin of the lake. As well, the U.S. program works to certify fertilizer retailers, who can then pass along their knowledge to farmers. The Canadian program was provided directly to farmers, offering a framework for the development of a 4R Nutrient Management Plan.

With a foothold in the agricultural world already, experts from the IJC, its boards and its allies hope that the 4R principles can play an important role in forward-thinking agricultural management that protects water resources and farmers’ bottom lines. Though formal regulation of the application of phosphorus fertilizers may be the solution to the excess nutrients in Lake Erie, voluntary measures such as these programs are an excellent step in the right direction.

Nicole Frantz

nicole frantz was a IJC Intern in the Windsor office from the University of Waterloo.

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