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Using Market Principles to Reduce Nitrogen Losses
Nancy Drummy working with a farmer at a recent Nutrient Management Planning Workshop.
Nancy Drummy is the head farmer outreach person, and is leading farmer outreach materials and negotiating with farmers for “purchase” of nutrient practices. Nancy is a farmer in the project area and has worked in extension targeting the management of nutrients and increased farmer efficiency in the use of nutrients.
The farmer training program utilizes dealers to recruit farmers to come to the workshops. After the workshops, farmers and dealers can sit down together to work on their own nutrient management plan. This team effort approach allows dealers to get many more acres done into Nutrient Management Plans. It also enables the farmer to be actively involved in his/her Nutrient Management Plan. Through the market incentive program, the dealer receives $6 per acre to write Nutrient Management Plans and process the subsequent soil samples. The farmer receives $300 for attending the workshop, and all of their soil samples are processed free of charge to them. The project expands the baseline by following the farmers for two years after they have completed the nutrient management training. After two years, the farmers retake a survey they took at the beginning of the workshop. This survey is used to see what progress has been made in nutrient management. The results from the survey will show what has been accomplished through the voluntary incentive program.
