Cooperative Industry-Agency-University Site-Specific Nutrient Management Education Project.

As an outcome of the Conservation Effectiveness Assessment Program (CEAP), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified the consistent use of nutrient management related to source, rate, timing, and placement as lacking on many farms in the USA. Addressing all resource concerns cannot be achieved with a single conservation practice, and therefore implementation of conservation practices must be in combination with site-specific nutrient management. Since 2011, a team of cooperating organizations and agencies consisting of The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA/NRCS), International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), and Iowa State University (ISU) has been working together to bring expertise and coordinated outreach in an effort to help producers increase implementation of site-specific nutrient management. The primary goal of this effort is to increase awareness of site-specific nutrient management and concurrent benefits to crop production, environmental quality, and economic return. With such understanding, the area of cropland with site-specific nutrient management will increase as will the effective and efficient use of nutrients for crop production. The specific objectives are to: 1) develop an education program to provide service providers and producers with enhanced knowledge about site-specific nutrient management planning; 2) develop a set of educational materials to support nutrient management education programs; and 3) develop educational materials for service providers to support producer adoption of improved nutrient management. Materials, such as audio-visual modules, have been developed and will be incorporated into the USDA-NRCS AgLearn training web site, the TFI 4R nutrient stewardship program, and ISU soil fertility online-based extension and outreach materials. The cooperative effort enhances the variety of groups and number of individuals reached to ultimately increase the area of cropland implementing site-specific nutrient management. The end result, through increased understanding and implementation of site-specific nutrient management planning, will be a benefit to water and air quality as well as production sustainability.