Farmers Do Their Part to Keep Toxic Algae Out of Lake Erie

By Chris Henney - Opinion/Editorial Posted in the Toledo Blade

Lake Erie should be a source of pride for all Ohio residents. It hosts one of the world’s largest freshwater commercial industries. It is a tourist hot spot. The lake generates billions of dollars in revenue for our region.

But Lake Erie is afflicted each year by harmful algae blooms caused by an abundance of phosphorus in rivers, tributaries, and groundwater. Phosphorus occurs naturally and is essential for all life. But as is often the case, too much of a good thing is not good.

Causes of excess phosphorus include wastewater treatment, animal manure, and industrial activity. But the cause that has attracted most of the attention in Lake Erie’s western basin is runoff from fertilized fields.

Farmers and the fertilizer industry are working to do their fair share to address this challenge. We believe the answer lies in programs that are based on solid scientific facts, with the power to produce measurable change.

We also believe that the most effective way to address threats to Lake Erie’s water quality is to bring all stakeholders together to build solutions that are locally driven, meaningful, and workable. We don’t have a handle on the exact contribution that agricultural sources make, but we do know it is significant.

Rather than waiting for scientific research to be complete, the fertilizer industry has joined the Nature Conservancy and other stakeholders to launch the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program. The program encourages agricultural retailers, service providers, and other professionals to adopt proven best practices.

The “4 R’s” refer to using the right source of nutrients at the right rate and the right time, in the right place. This approach provides a science-based framework for plant nutrition management and sustained crop production, while it considers the needs of individual farms.

The certification program outlines 41 criteria that are applied over a 3-year period and verified by an independent auditor. The program provides training and continuing education, monitoring, and nutrient recommendations that rely on certified personnel as well as experts from Ohio State University.

Since its launch last year, the program has come to cover about 1.1 million acres, including 650,000 in Lake Erie’s western basin. More than half of the 3,000 farmers the program reaches are in the western basin.

As another sign of our support for best practices in the field, farmers and fertilizer producers back the new Ohio law that restricts the application of manure and fertilizer on frozen, snow-covered, or saturated ground in the western basin. The law’s requirements are consistent with provisions of the 4R certification program.

We support field research to ensure that fertilizer retailers recommend, and farmers carry out, the best nutrient management practices. By cooperating with funding agencies, university researchers, and local stakeholders to evaluate and quantify the effects of adopting 4R practices, we are investing in the future well-being of Lake Erie.

A $1.2 million industry grant from the 4R Research Fund is sponsoring practice-based research on paired fields. Through this effort, researchers work with growers to select and compare practices. Researchers then monitor the sites when it rains throughout the year, and evaluate the impact of the practices on nutrient losses to waterways.

Combined with the certification program, this research will enable farmers to minimize nutrient losses, adapt to emerging technologies, and most important, positively affect local water sources such as Lake Erie.

As businessmen, farmers must be profitable. But profit without protection of our natural resources is unsustainable. By giving farmers the knowledge and tools to keep nutrients in the field and out of Lake Erie, we are investing in a cleaner Lake Erie for all Ohioans to enjoy.

Story originally published in the Toledo Blade in the Opinion/Editorial section on Sunday, August 23. Click here to read the original story.