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
• What are ag retail revenue opportunities that also reduce nutrient losses? • How can we increase those sales ? Our Focus • 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
Our Challenges Graphs courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Dept. of Commerce. Lake Erie photos courtesy of John Crumrine. Map courtesy of US EPA. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Dept. of Commerce 9
Opportunities! Total P loss Dissolved Reactive P Product/Service reduction loss reduction (lbs/acre) (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 1.04 0.23 (2- 3”) 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 Total Acres Serviced by Facilities & Number of Respondents by Season 69 5000 80 62 4500 70 Acres 47 Number of Respondents 4000 60 Sum 4,150,322 3500 Acres (1000's) 50 3000 Average 59,290 2500 40 4720 4060 2000 3839 30 Maximum 200,000 1500 20 12 12 12 1000 Minimum 4000 10 500 650 534 539 0 0 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-5015 2015-2016 2016-2017 Season
2017 Survey Overview WHO TOOK OUR SURVEY? PARTICIPATION BY STATE Minnesota Owner/general 3% Sales/sales New York manager/location management 13% manager 19% 46% Application Illinois manager 6% 4% Ohio 46% Precision Indiana manager 10% 7% Ontario 4% Consultant/agronomi Wisconsin st Michigan 9% 24% 9%
Individual Annual Reporting Retail Location Watershed /State Great Lakes Basin-wide
Sandusky River Watershed
Great Lake Basin Results I am not I am breaking I am making I do not offer GLB Profitability of Total I do not know BMPs - 2017 breaking even even a profit this service % % % of % % offering count offering count count offering count total offering count BMP 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 0.0 3 16.7 11 61.1 4 22.2 47 72.3 65 Topdress 0 0.0 6 10.3 52 89.7 0 0.0 6 9.4 64 Sidedress 0 0.0 8 17.4 38 82.6 0 0.0 18 28.1 64 Foliar feeding 2 3.7 6 11.1 46 85.2 0 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
Great Lake Basin Results I am not I am breaking I am making I do not offer GLB Profitability of Total I do not know BMPs - 2017 breaking even even a profit this service % % % of % % offering count offering count count offering count total offering count BMP 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 0.0 3 16.7 11 61.1 4 22.2 47 72.3 65 Topdress 0 0.0 6 10.3 52 89.7 0 0.0 6 9.4 64 Sidedress 0 0.0 8 17.4 38 82.6 0 0.0 18 28.1 64 Foliar feeding 2 3.7 6 11.1 46 85.2 0 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
Great Lake Basin Results I am not I am breaking I am making I do not offer GLB Profitability of Total I do not know BMPs - 2017 breaking even even a profit this service % % % of % % offering count offering count count offering count total offering count BMP 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 0.0 3 16.7 11 61.1 4 22.2 47 72.3 65 Topdress 0 0.0 6 10.3 52 89.7 0 0.0 6 9.4 64 Sidedress 0 0.0 8 17.4 38 82.6 0 0.0 18 28.1 64 Foliar feeding 2 3.7 6 11.1 46 85.2 0 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
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 Minnesota DNR, pollutant loads in Blue Earth River • 20% TN by 2025 1/17-5/25/18
Products/Services Status, Blue Earth Source: Brad Carlson, U of M Extension • Nitrogen BMPs not followed on western side of 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 observations 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. • P roducts 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 Helena Chemical Company Midwestern BioAg Ag Pro Farm Service LLC Heritage Cooperative North Central Cooperative, Inc Ashland Crop Service Inc Huron Bay Cooperative OHIGRO Inc Berkey Farm Center Jerseyland Dairy Prattville Fertilizer and Grain Brickner Farm service LLC Jennings Gomer Equity Precision Ag Services Inc. Carolina Eastern Crocker, LLC Legacy Farmers Coop Rio Creek Feed Mill Carolina Eastern Vail Lima Elevator Co. Inc. Rudd Spray Service Centerra Coop Luckey Farmers Inc Silver Creek Supply Central Ohio Farmers Co-op Inc. Lucknow Coop Stratford Agri Analysis Ceres Solutions Lyon County Farm Service J.V. Sunrise Cooperative Conserv FS Mercer Landmark Tarter Feed & Fertilizer Diversified Agri-Services Miller Chemical & Fertilizer The Delong Company, Inc Georgetown Ag Michigan Agricultural Commodities United Cooperative Growmark FS LLC Mid-Wood Incorporated Wilbur-Ellis Company Interested in getting involved? Contact Caitlin, Outreach Coordinator caitlin@partnershipfarm.org
Thanks to members, fu funders and coll llaborators!
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