Ohio’s 4R water quality certification expands

COLUMBUS — The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program has expanded its voluntary program statewide in Ohio. Effective Jan. 1, all Ohio-based agricultural retailers and nutrient service providers will be able to participate in the water quality effort.

“Ohio’s agricultural retailers and nutrient service providers have shown great commitment to improving water quality in the Lake Erie Basin,” said John Oster, vice chairman of the Nutrient Stewardship Council, speaking at the “4Rs for a Growing Ohio” event Dec. 9 in Radnor, Ohio. “We are now able to expand the program across Ohio, allowing for statewide participation in this voluntary program.”

More than 150 people attended the launch, which provided insight to program requirements and offered next steps for facilities looking to become certified.

The program is based on the 4R framework, using the right fertilizer source at the right rate, the right time and in the right place.

Attendees heard from farmers and certified retailers currently participating in the program in the Lake Erie Basin, as well as representatives from the Nutrient Stewardship Council and agriculture industry leaders and stakeholders.

The program included a public officials panel featuring David Daniels, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture; Craig Butler, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; and Mike Bailey, chief of the Division of Parks and Watercraft at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Work honored

The Nutrient Stewardship Council presented its Distinguished Service Award to Carrie Vollmer-Sanders of The Nature Conservancy. The award recognizes an individual who has worked hard to ensure the success of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program.

Vollmer-Sanders has worked to develop partnerships with a broad base of stakeholders to develop the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program. She was recently named nutrient strategy manager for The Nature Conservancy’s North America Agriculture Program, to focus on reducing nutrient runoff in the Mississippi, Great Lakes, Chesapeake and Everglades water basins.