Newswise — MAY 24, 2012 – Farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area often adopt nutrient management planning in an effort to keep fertilizer on the land and out of the Bay to protect water quality. But what are the costs, and can nutrient management planning help states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements-- while still staying in business? A soil scientist, agricultural economist, farmer, and Certified Crop Adviser will address the agricultural, environmental, and economic aspects of nutrient management planning at the congressional educational briefing, “Nutrient Management & the Chesapeake Bay Experience: Economic and Environmental Considerations,” sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), The Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The briefing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 30 from Noon to 1 pm in room B369 of the Rayburn House Office Building. “American and Pennsylvania farmers are stewards of the land,” says Representative Tim Holden, Democrat from the 17th District of Pennsylvania and a member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Adoption of nutrient management planning will help producers protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed while improving profitability,” Holden says. “We are pleased to help shed light on the roles nutrient management planning can play to enhance agricultural production through increased nutrient use efficiency and reducing nutrient run-off to our vital water resources,” says ASA, CSSA, and SSSA CEO Ellen Bergfeld. And Dr. Damona Doye, Regents Professor of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University and C-FARE Chair states, "We are pleased to work across the sciences to examine the benefits and long term outlook for conservation programs in the Chesapeake Bay." Notable experts will be involved, including University of Maryland Soil Scientist and ASA-SSSA member Josh McGrath, Pennsylvania Certified Crop Adviser Eric Rosenbaum, Penn State University Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics Dr. James Shortle, and Luke Brubaker, a Southeastern Pennsylvania dairy and chicken farm operator. ###
The more than 18,000 members of the American Society of Agronomy-Crop Science Society of America-Soil Science Society of America (ASA-CSSA-SSSA) are part of a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation and wise use of natural resources to produce food, feed, fuel, and fiber crops while maintaining and improving the environment.
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