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OSU Extension
Addressing Nutrient Management Issues in the State
By Sam Custer
OSU Extension, Darke County
Water quality and nutrient management issues are getting more and more
attention these days. With additional regulatory measures being debated
in the state legislature, it seems that everyone has an idea about how
to ‘fix’ the algal blooms in Lake Erie and elsewhere. And not
surprisingly, the ‘fix’ depends on who you ask.
The reality is that addressing nutrient management issues across the
state is a complex and difficult task, as excessive nutrients come from
a variety of different sources. But the work is increasingly important
and relevant as the debate intensifies. Ohio State University Extension
is working on many fronts to address nutrient management across the
state and to work toward better use of nutrients, cleaner water and
increased farmer profitability. (And yes, these three things can all
peacefully coexist.) Here are a few examples of the work we are doing.
Education: OSU Extension remains committed to educating farmers in
nutrient management stewardship. OSU Extension has been tasked by the
Ohio Department of Agriculture to develop and run the new Agricultural
Fertilizer Certification Training. The goal is to have fertilizer
applicators trained in a 2 or 3 hour course over the next 3 years. With
an estimated 12,000 eligible fertilizer applicators needing training,
this is a major undertaking and a mostly thankless job. Initial
trainings have been successful and farmers that I’ve talked with have
acknowledged the quality program and valuable information this training
has provided. In addition to this training, OSU Extension hosts a wide
variety of winter meetings and field days incorporating nutrient
management into their programming.
Research: Numerous scientists at Ohio State and elsewhere are actively
conducting research to address nutrient management issues. University
researchers, field specialists, county educators, farmers, commodity
groups and other stakeholders have forged partnerships to find
research-based solutions to a range of nutrient issues. These areas
include edge-of-field studies, farmer perceptions and behavior about
nutrient management, controlled drainage structures to manage water
more effectively, and building better models to predict nutrient
runoff. In my lab, which focuses on agronomic soil fertility, we are
working to update fertilizer recommendations in agronomic crops, by
conducting field trials on farmers’ fields across the state over the
next several years. (Please contact me at custer.2@osu.edu if you’re
interested in participating.) We also have three corn-soybean field
trials with multiple rates of P and K across the state. These trials
are going on their tenth year and will help confirm and strengthen the
research findings from farmers’ fields. In addition, numerous county
educators conduct soil fertility trials throughout the state.
Although this list isn’t exhaustive, it provides a taste of what OSU
Extension is actively working on to improve water quality in the state.
For more information on how you can help work toward ‘fixing’ this
issue contact us.
For more information about OSU Extension, Darke County, visit the Darke
County OSU Extension web site at www.darke.osu.edu, the OSU Extension
Darke County Facebook page or contact Sam Custer, at 937.548.5215.
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