Industry Calls for 2018 Farm Bill to Support Nutrient Management and Soil Health

This article was co-authored by:

Nick Reckinger
Organic Fertilizer Expert

Carrie Carlson
Technical Writer

The 2014 Farm Bill is due to expire in September of 2018. An expansive piece of legislation, the bill covers a wide variety of issues surrounding the agriculture industry, including everything from crop insurance and credit, to nutrition, research, and even renewable energy.

As groups rally to push their objectives for the 2018 Farm Bill, some industry experts are looking for the bill to improve support for soil health and nutrient management. Most recently, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has voiced their objectives in a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, urging Congress to consider support for 4R Nutrient Stewardship a high priority.

4R Nutrient Stewardship and Why it’s Important

4R Nutrient Stewardship is a set of principles that focuses on maximizing nutrient use and minimizing nutrient loss in an effort to promote efficient and sustainable nutrient management. The 4R principles are outlined below:

Right Source

Take all factors into account to ensure that a balance of the essential nutrients is provided.

Right Rate

Consider plant-specific needs combined with what the soil can provide to apply fertilizer at the ideal rate.

Right Time

Ensure proper timing of application by considering factors such as nutrient loss risks, logistics, crop uptake, and more.

Right Place

Meet site-specific needs and limit nutrient losses by taking factors such as root-soil dynamics and nutrient movement into account.

In terms of the fertilizer industry, 4R Nutrient Stewardship is a relatively new concept; while much research has been carried out, there is still more to be done.

The voice of the fertilizer industry, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), assists in all issues related to fertilizer on a global scale, including advocating for needed legislation on the industry’s behalf.

TFI is aiming to ultimately reach a 100% adoption rate of 4R Nutrient Stewardship (i.e., all fertilizer will be applied according to 4R principles), and they’re hoping the 2018 Farm Bill will help to foster more widespread use. Specifically, TFI has requested the following:

  • Incentivize farmers to implement 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices through the dedication of a minimum of 10% of funding from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
  • Assign a “high priority” to research efforts around the 4R principles.

Similarly, TFI would like to see that funding for The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and the reauthorization of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) is also made a priority.

Earlier this year, the Foundation for Agronomic Research (FAR) was selected to receive a $1 million research grant from FFAR. The grant was matched by the 4R Research Fund, and is aimed at the study of the 4Rs on nutrients in corn and soybean cropping systems. The research that the grant will allow for will fill a needed void of information, according to a statement made by The Fertilizer Institute:

“The lack of data that links the agronomic and environmental benefits of 4R practices across a wide variety of conditions is a critical information gap that needs be addressed,” states Chris Jahn, President of The Fertilizer Institute. “With this research, we hope to qualify and quantify the impact of using the 4Rs in order to give certainty to farmers, and sound guidance to environmental programs, and policy decision makers.”

Impact of Support for 4R Nutrient Stewardship

4R Nutrient Stewardship covers a broad spectrum of techniques aimed at efficient nutrient management. While it’s difficult to predict, some experts anticipate the following may occur in an effort to meet 4R principles:

Increase in Specialty Fertilizers and the use of Micronutrients

While the market has already seen increased demand for specialty fertilizers and micronutrients, as we learn more about site-specific nutrient needs, this demand is likely to only grow, especially given that much of the world’s soil is deficient in some nutrients and we’ll need to increase yields to meet food demand for the estimated 9 billion people expected to inhabit the earth by 2050.

Increased Adoption of Manure Processing Systems

Increasing herd sizes combined with more land competition, and the realization that agricultural runoff is contributing to dead zones in waterways has farms under significant pressure to manage increasing amounts of manure in a way that is both economical and environmentally friendly. At the same time, never has it been more important to properly utilize the valuable nutrients contained within manure.

This has prompted increased research and improved technology around separation and nutrient capture from manure streams, with many large-scale farms adopting on-site systems.

Some large-scale farms are taking this a step further, implementing on-site granulation systems, where they can recover the nutrients from manure and transform them into a site-appropriate fertilizer that’s easy to store, as well as saleable. This improves their bottom line through more efficient nutrient use and reduced fertilizer costs, and helps to complete the natural nutrient cycle. Furthermore, a manure-based fertilizer can also serve as a valuable source of organic matter, helping to improve overall soil health. The remaining separated solids (coarse fibers) after nutrient capture can be further dried and utilized as a Dried Manure Solids (DMS) bedding material to replace more traditional bedding types.

Expanded Use of Precision Agriculture Techniques

Precision agriculture, also known as precision farming, covers a range of techniques that work to integrate technology and data acquisition with best management practices to promote optimal input and yields.

With a focus on efficiency, it’s no surprise that the two concepts are closely related and have the potential to work hand-in-hand to promote optimal nutrient management practices.

Proper nutrient management looks to be a cornerstone of a sustainable future, both in and out of agriculture, with the potential for major impacts, including:

  • Mitigation of water quality issues associated with excess nutrient runoff
  • Full realization of the nutrient value farmers apply, improving their bottom line
  • Reduced pressure on finite mineral resources needed for food production
  • Improved crop yields in a time when farmers will be expected to feed a booming population on less arable land
  • Healthier soils
  • Higher nutrient value in crops
  • And more…

The Fertilizer Institute is not the only group focused on improving the nutrient cycle; The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is also looking for soil health to be a priority in the 2018 Farm Bill, citing growing effects of climate change as evidence that such consideration is needed.

Conclusion

As discussions move forward around the 2018 Farm Bill, the nutrient cycle proves to be a critical theme, with many calling for support, particularly The Fertilizer Institute, as they urge Congress to make research around 4R Nutrient Stewardship a high priority.

As is evidenced by the outpouring of support for improved soil health and nutrient management, it’s likely that endeavors aimed at maximizing nutrient use efficiency such as manure granulation, precision agriculture, and specialty fertilizers and micronutrients will be key practices in improving the nutrient cycle and the sustainability of agriculture.

As the leading provider of complete process granulation systems and equipment, FEECO can assist you in meeting your nutrient management goals through process development and complete granulation systems and equipment for specialty fertilizer products, manure-based fertilizers, traditional and novel NPK, and even dried manure solids (DMS) bedding. For more information on our unique expertise, contact us today!

About the Authors . . .


Nick Reckinger is a Process and Bioresources Sales Engineer.

More About Nick

More About Nick

Carrie Carlson is a technical writer and visual designer.

More About Carrie