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CCA program expects to expand nutrient management certification

Nutrient management certification is expected to be offered across North America in the coming years to help farmers improve water quality.

Luther Smith with the American Society of Agronomy tells Brownfield the 4R Nutrient Management Specialty for Certified Crop Advisors started with six states in 2015 and is rapidly expanding across the country.  “Now we are in 15 states around that Greater Lakes area, the Upper Midwest and over into the Northeast.  We also have one province in Canada now, Ontario also has the program.”

He says by next year, the certification will also be available in the Southeast and eventually expand across North America.  “They have a base level knowledge in nutrient management, all CCAs, but as more emphasis was placed on water quality issues and trying to improve that, nutrient management moved to the forefront.  We thought the best way to address it was to create a certification.”

Smith says the specialization was developed with The Fertilizer Institute to provide crops with the right source of nutrients at the right rate, in the right place at the right time.

AUDIO: Interview with Luther Smith