Private Sector Initiatives to Improve Conservation Efforts - Soil Health and Water Quality.

Many conservation initiatives have been driven by private sector partnerships.  For example, The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization, has partnered with many non-profits and corporations across the globe.  Collaborations have been formed within the crop producing regions of the United States to research, demonstrate and educate on means to improve soil health and water quality.  Many of the collaborative efforts have been directed towards providing the right tools and technology to farmers to enable better decision making processes towards conservation management practices.  The Nature Conservancy has participated in many Field to Market projects, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program, The Soil Health Partnership, several cover crops projects, phosphorus management projects in the Western Lake Erie Basin, and many other local, regional and national projects.  Leveraging resources across the private sector can continue to drive conservation initiatives to further develop the tools and technologies farmers need to improve cropping system efficiency.  Additional attention must be focused towards developing diverse collaborations to address several environmental issues facing agricultural production.