ANGOLA, Ind. — Participation in the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program is greater than organizers had hoped when they launched it a little more than a year ago.

The program is a voluntary certification effort for retailers, suppliers and crop advisors. It allows for training, proper nutrient recommendation and application, and the monitoring of the components of 4R implementation. The 4Rs are: right source, right rate, right time and right place. Retailers, suppliers and crop advisors in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio located in watersheds of the Lake Erie basin are eligible to participate. The program is not for farmers.

Since the program began March 18, 2014, five 4R-certified providers are influencing 300,000 acres in Ohio, said Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, director of the Western Lake Erie Basin project for The Nature Conservancy. The providers are selling or applying fertilizer or making recommendations on proper levels, she noted.

Sixty additional providers have begun the certification process. When the program started, Vollmer-Sanders said the goal was to see 15 providers become certified in the first year. "Things have gone much faster than we hoped," she stated. "It’s so important to have voluntary participation in processes based on science led by the agricultural industry. If we can’t do it voluntarily, things may be mandated."

The purpose of the program and other water improvement efforts is to "make sure we’re getting nutrient management done in the right way in the (Lake Erie) basin," Vollmer-Sanders said.

The goal is not to put agriculture out of business, she added. Phosphorous runoff from farm fields has been cited as one factor in the presence of toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie in recent years. In August 2014, the water supply in Toledo, Ohio, was contaminated, apparently by toxins from the algae. Residents were told not to drink water from the city’s treatment plant for two days. Those who are eligible and interested in participating in the program should contact the Ohio AgriBusiness Assoc., which monitors compliance through audits.

Once they’ve signed up, applicants will go through a pre-audit where the program and its criteria are explained in detail. The program has 41 criteria and 25 must be implemented in the first year, Vollmer-Sanders said.

The criteria include soil sampling on all the acres where nutrients are applied. Additional criteria include no application of fertilizer on frozen or snow-covered ground or before a heavy rainstorm.

"(Certified providers) don’t manage the whole farm," she explained. "The farmer does have a lot of responsibility with fields and land management. The farmer benefits because they know they’re working with a retailer offering advice that will help economically and with water quality."

Certified providers must pay annual fees approaching $1,600, she said. The fees cover the costs to administer the program and for a yearly audit.

Some service providers hesitate to participate in the program because they think potentially selling less phosphorous will hurt their business, Vollmer-Sanders noted. Applicants are also concerned about the necessary recordkeeping and some of the criteria required to participate.

Proper documentation is an area in which most applicants need to improve, said Jim Lake, 4R Certified Program advisor. Since the program began, he’s made about 18 pre-audit visits to applicants.

"They don’t do well on documentation and recordkeeping," he stated. "They also should understand that their recommendations to farmers must be in compliance with tri-state fertilizer guidelines. If you’re making recommendations above that, you need to make a change.

"But we don’t hold them accountable for anything they don’t have control over, as long as their recommendations are in compliance with the guidelines."

For more information, visit www.4Rcertified.org