www.4RTomorrow.or
g
4R Tomorrow Nutrient Management
Talking Points

The time for nutrient stewardship is now
o Algae blooms are affecting water quality and the health and safety of humans and
natural ecosystems
o Agriculture is being challenged
o Increased demand for food production on limited amounts of land place pressure on
cropping systems and natural resources
o Increased public scrutiny related to land and resource management from media,
governmental agencies and environmental organizations

Ohio farmers, homeowners, and business and community leaders can take action immediately
to protect the quality of Ohio’s waterways and other natural resources.

Natural resource conservation has come a long way the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, but more work
is needed.
o Algae blooms are intensifying.
o According to the EPA, there are 14,000 nutrient-related surface water impairment
listings in 49 states.
o Over 47 percent of streams contain medium to high levels of N and P

Proper nutrient management is a critical part of the success of Ohio and U.S. agriculture.
o Nutrient applications increase yields of crops, nourishing the world while sparing land
for other uses and increasing the return of organic carbon to the soil, thereby
sequestering a greenhouse gas.
o On the other hand, unmanaged nutrient applications may increase nutrient losses,
potentially degrading water and air quality in a number of ways and possibly increasing
greenhouse gases.

Reducing subsurface loss of N and P is the solution to the water quality issue in Ohio.
o Excess nutrients like N and P can be harmful to water quality, the ecosystems, wildlife,
and human like that depend upon our state’s lakes, streams and rivers.
o There are many sources of these nutrients, including: agricultural, urban, commercial
and natural.
o
Everyone in Ohio plays a role in improving and protecting the state’s water quality and
other natural resources. To solve the current water quality challenges, we must all work
together.

Conservation districts are working with local farmers, homeowners, businesses, and
governments to educate and implement the 4R nutrient management principles on farms, in
backyards, and in local communities.
o Proper nutrient management and conservation practices can produce positive impacts
with water quality issues.
o Proper nutrient management and conservation practices can produce positive economic
benefits for the farmer, homeowner, business and/or government.
o Proper nutrient management can produce positive impacts to the quality of life for local
constituents, as well as other living things such as flora and fauna.

One of the goals of 4R nutrient stewardship is to improve agricultural production while
contributing to social well-being and minimizing environmental impacts (benefitting water and
air quality).

Sustainable agricultural production is important, and we need to make sure fertilizer use
contribute to it.
o Sustainable development consists of three elements—economic, social, and
environmental—and to achieve sustainability, practices must contribute positively to all
three.
o Agriculture needs to understand agriculture’s role in sustainability.
o Policy makers and the public need to understand both agriculture’s role in sustainability
as well as the parts they need to play.

4R represents the use of fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) to ensure:
o The right source
o At the right rate
o At the right time
o In the right place

By working together, we can bring conservation into each and every community, business, and
farming operation in the state of Ohio and improve the quality of life for future generation.
Soil and Water Conservation District, Address, Telephone, Website