Resource Management Thomas Green, Ph.D., CCA, TSP, President IPM - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Partnership for Ag Resource Management

Thomas Green, Ph.D., CCA, TSP, President IPM Institute of North America June 2018

Whole Foods Market 2014 Supplier Award for Outstanding Quality Assurance 2012, 2009 US EPA Sustained Excellence in IPM Award 2009, 2008, 2005, 2004 National Champion, US EPA Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program 2005 Children’s Environmental Health Recognition Award, US EPA Office of Children’s Health Protection

How We Make a Difference

Harnessing Marketplace Power to Improve Health, Environment, and Economics

Ninth Annual IPM Symposium March 2018

Our Focus

• What are ag retail revenue
• pportunities that also reduce

nutrient losses?

• How can we increase those sales?
• What kinds of improvements are we

generating when we track sales and estimate impacts we are generating?

• How can we credibly communicate

those impacts to employees, shareholders, regulators, the public and policy makers?

8

Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Dept. of Commerce

Our Challenges

9

Graphs courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Dept. of

• Commerce. Lake Erie photos

courtesy of John Crumrine. Map courtesy of US EPA.

Opportunities!

Product/Service Total P loss reduction (lbs/acre) Dissolved Reactive P loss reduction (lbs/acre) Cover crops 0.63 0.06 Soil tests/apply at Extension recs 0.53 0.11 Variable rate P applications 0.59 0.09 Custom banding 0.39 0.06 Apply in rooting zone (strip till) 0.68 0.10 Notify farmers after P applications to lightly incorporate (2-3”) 1.04 0.23 Apply for following crop only 0.10 0.01 Avoid application prior to rain, comply with setbacks, notify farmer of issues, e.g., tile blowouts ?? ??

Promotion: VRT P Discount Program

• Ag retailers offer customers $16/acre reimbursement for up to

100 acres per person for first-time users of variable rate technology (VRT).

• Funding provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and

EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

• 34 ag retail locations, 17,792 acres enrolled to date.
• ~ 2000 acres remaining for enrollment by 2019.

Promotion

Promotion

Participating Ag Retailers

534 539 650 3839 4720 4060 12 12 12 47 62 69

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000

2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-5015 2015-2016 2016-2017 Number of Respondents

Acres (1000's)

Season

Total Acres Serviced by Facilities & Number of Respondents by Season

Acres Sum 4,150,322 Average 59,290 Maximum 200,000 Minimum 4000

2017 Survey Overview

Owner/general manager/location manager 46% Consultant/agronomi st 24% Precision manager 7% Application manager 4% Sales/sales management 19%

WHO TOOK OUR SURVEY?

Ohio 46% Michigan 9% Wisconsin 9% Ontario 4% Indiana 10% Illinois 6% New York 13% Minnesota 3%

PARTICIPATION BY STATE

Annual Reporting

Individual Retail Location

Watershed /State

Great Lakes Basin-wide

Sandusky River Watershed

Great Lake Basin Results

GLB Profitability of BMPs - 2017

Total

BMP

count %

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

% of total

Cover Crops

4 7.4 11 20.4 36 66.7 3 5.6 10 15.6 64

Soil sampling

4 6.7 12 20.0 39 65.0 5 8.3 4 6.3 64

VRT single nutrient application (N or P)

2 3.9 10 19.6 38 74.5 1 2.0 11 17.7 62

Subsurface preplant

0.0 3 16.7 11 61.1 4 22.2 47 72.3 65

Topdress

0.0 6 10.3 52 89.7 0.0 6 9.4 64

Sidedress

0.0 8 17.4 38 82.6 0.0 18 28.1 64

Foliar feeding

2 3.7 6 11.1 46 85.2 0.0 10 15.6 64

Gypsum application

4 10.8 8 21.6 23 62.2 2 5.4 28 43.1 65

Custom strip-till

3 30.0 1 10.0 2 20.0 4 40.0 55 84.6 65

I am not breaking even I am breaking even I am making a profit I do not know I do not offer this service

Great Lake Basin Results

GLB Profitability of BMPs - 2017

Total

BMP

count %

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

% of total

Cover Crops

4 7.4 11 20.4 36 66.7 3 5.6 10 15.6 64

Soil sampling

4 6.7 12 20.0 39 65.0 5 8.3 4 6.3 64

VRT single nutrient application (N or P)

2 3.9 10 19.6 38 74.5 1 2.0 11 17.7 62

Subsurface preplant

0.0 3 16.7 11 61.1 4 22.2 47 72.3 65

Topdress

0.0 6 10.3 52 89.7 0.0 6 9.4 64

Sidedress

0.0 8 17.4 38 82.6 0.0 18 28.1 64

Foliar feeding

2 3.7 6 11.1 46 85.2 0.0 10 15.6 64

Gypsum application

4 10.8 8 21.6 23 62.2 2 5.4 28 43.1 65

Custom strip-till

3 30.0 1 10.0 2 20.0 4 40.0 55 84.6 65

I am not breaking even I am breaking even I am making a profit I do not know I do not offer this service

Great Lake Basin Results

GLB Profitability of BMPs - 2017

Total

BMP

count %

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

%

• ffering count

% of total

Cover Crops

4 7.4 11 20.4 36 66.7 3 5.6 10 15.6 64

Soil sampling

4 6.7 12 20.0 39 65.0 5 8.3 4 6.3 64

VRT single nutrient application (N or P)

2 3.9 10 19.6 38 74.5 1 2.0 11 17.7 62

Subsurface preplant

0.0 3 16.7 11 61.1 4 22.2 47 72.3 65

Topdress

0.0 6 10.3 52 89.7 0.0 6 9.4 64

Sidedress

0.0 8 17.4 38 82.6 0.0 18 28.1 64

Foliar feeding

2 3.7 6 11.1 46 85.2 0.0 10 15.6 64

Gypsum application

4 10.8 8 21.6 23 62.2 2 5.4 28 43.1 65

Custom strip-till

3 30.0 1 10.0 2 20.0 4 40.0 55 84.6 65

I am not breaking even I am breaking even I am making a profit I do not know I do not offer this service

2018: : Expansion to MN and WI

Le Sueur River WRAPS Report, August 2015

• 45% TN

10-year target: 12%

• 60% TP

10-year target: 10%

Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy, Mississippi River Basin, Sep. 2014

• 45% TP by 2025
• 20% TN by 2025

Minnesota DNR, pollutant loads in Blue Earth River 1/17-5/25/18

Products/Services Status, Blue Earth

Source: Brad Carlson, U of M Extension

• Nitrogen BMPs not followed on western side
• f Watershed
• Strip-till 5% adoption
• Cover crops: 5%
• VRT: 20%

Growers Trust Crop Advisors

Additional Proje jects

• Landowners & Farmers Together—a Partnership for

Clean Water

• With American Farmland Trust
• Working to support women non-operator landowners learn how to improve outcomes on their

farmland.

• Funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund

iPiPE

• With Penn State, NC State.
• Improving pest management by

sharing information.

• New national network for sharing
• bservations so everyone benefits.
• Funded by USDA Agriculture and

Food Initiative.

• https://ipipe.zedxinc.com/cgi-

bin/login.cgi#

In Interactive Education for Ag Retailers

Collaboration with Field to Market Sustainable Programming for Ag Retailers and Crop Consultants (SPARC) steering committee. Members from: Cargill, Environmental Defense Fund, Agricultural Retailers Association, and the American Society of Agronomy.

Upcoming: Mobile P-Loss App

Agronomist/farmer: What’s the risk of P loss from this field? DRP, five-year avg. 4350 HRU resolution

Wrap Up

• Ag retailers can be a powerful source for positive

change.

• Products and services that align with ag retailer

revenue goals also reduce nutrient and sediment losses, supporting water quality.

• We have an opportunity to operate this engine in

priority watersheds across the US and internationally.

Participating Ag Retailers

Other 2017 participants (multiple locations):

AG PLUS Ag Pro Farm Service LLC Ashland Crop Service Inc Berkey Farm Center Brickner Farm service LLC Carolina Eastern Crocker, LLC Carolina Eastern Vail Centerra Coop Central Ohio Farmers Co-op Inc. Ceres Solutions Conserv FS Diversified Agri-Services Georgetown Ag Growmark FS LLC Helena Chemical Company Heritage Cooperative Huron Bay Cooperative Jerseyland Dairy Jennings Gomer Equity Legacy Farmers Coop Lima Elevator Co. Inc. Luckey Farmers Inc Lucknow Coop Lyon County Farm Service J.V. Mercer Landmark Miller Chemical & Fertilizer Michigan Agricultural Commodities Mid-Wood Incorporated Midwestern BioAg North Central Cooperative, Inc OHIGRO Inc Prattville Fertilizer and Grain Precision Ag Services Inc. Rio Creek Feed Mill Rudd Spray Service Silver Creek Supply Stratford Agri Analysis Sunrise Cooperative Tarter Feed & Fertilizer The Delong Company, Inc United Cooperative Wilbur-Ellis Company

Interested in getting involved? Contact Caitlin, Outreach Coordinator caitlin@partnershipfarm.org

Thanks to members, fu funders and coll llaborators!

Thank you!

• Dr. Tom Green

Director Mark Adelsperger Resource Management Specialist Kelly Adams Co-Director Thomas Bernard Coordinator Julian Cooper Project Manager Erin Gray Daly Administrative Assistant Astrid De la Cruz Coordinator Julia Freuck Project Coordinator Sharon Haberkorn Office Manager Maggie Johnson Intern Ariel Larson Project Manager Frank Laufenberg Coordinator Caitlin Leahy Outreach Coordinator Matt Lichty Team Member Ali Loker Project Manager Erika Nickels Audit Coordinator Cole Schmitt Jr Front End Developer Liam Selfors Team Member Dan Skolnik Senior Software Engineer Peter Werts Project Manager Paige Wettach Coordinator Ida Yu Coordinator Madeline Zastrow Coordinator caitlin@ partnershoipfarm.org

Ag Retailer Products and Services Improving Water Quality and Sustainability

Lee Orians Heritage Cooperative Upper Sandusky, Ohio June 2018

Outline

• Making recommendations from soil test
• Adding yield data for crop removal
• Not over-applying but correctly applying
• How PARM grant has reached the late adopters to

improve water quality

Introduction

We started by pulling soil sample cores from a field and mixing them together and assuming the whole field was the same. Along came GPS and we started using grid sampling and using a yield goal for the whole field. We now use yield data instead of yield goal and manage the field in 30’ by 30’ cells.

Soil Test

Fertilizer rec from yield goal

Yield Map

Imagery

Fertilizer rec by yield data

Summary

The more data you can use the more accurate your recommendations will be. Have 20 customers try Variable Rate Technology for first time, 1700 acres. Added additional 850 acres out of pocket. Generated $7650.00 plus an additional $4000.00 in sampling fees. Turned into $160,000.00 additional revenue through added fertilizer and chemical sales for new business.

Acknowledgements

Crop Advantage is a product of Heritage Cooperative Crop Advantage is powered by MapShots’ AgStudio Program Data used by permission of Rod Phillips PARM grant funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Neil Bair, Producer

• Wyandot County, Ohio
• Corn, Soybeans, Wheat
• Beef cattle

Cover Crop – Benefits Through the Years

Cover cropping in the 60’s

• Sweet clover, rye, oats
• Benefits seen then and now
• Known as the “poor man’s tile”

Cover Crops – Years of Continued Learning

Cover Crops – Years of Continued Learning

Cover Crops – Years of Continued Learning

• Challenges
• Time for planting
• Timing of kill
• Weather conditions
• Cost

Rewards

• Observing changes in problem fields
• Seeing soil health change over time
• Benefits to water quality, soil loss
• Rain events are less of a factor

My Observations Over the Years

Cover Crop Annual Rye X X X X X X Oats X X X X X X X Sorghum Sud. X X X X X X X Wheat X X X X X X Alfalfa X X X X X X Crimson Clover X X X X X X Hairy Vetch X X X X Winter Pea X X X Red Clover X X X X X X X Sweet Clover X X X X X X X Buckwheat X X Radish X X X X X X X Rapeseed X X X Turnip X X X X

Cover Crops – A Work in Progress

I consider planting cover crops as my “continuing education”.

• Always room to learn more
• Take time to confer and learn from others
• Be proactive in solving nutrient and sediment loss problems
• Make your soils healthy again

Thank you