4R nutrient stewardship—are we there yet?

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2010-12-01
Authors
Fixen, Paul
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Proceedings of the Integrated Crop Management Conference
Iowa State University Conferences and Symposia

The Iowa State University Integrated Crop Management Conference is Iowa's premier crop production education event. No other program in Iowa brings together the diverse range of topics, slate of expert presenters and results of the latest University research.

The ICM Conference offers workshops focusing on the latest in crop production technology. Experts from Iowa and surrounding states will provide research updates and results in soil fertility, soil and water management, crop production and pest management.

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4R nutrient stewardship is an innovative approach to best management practices (BMPs) for fertilizer. It ensures that the right source (or product) is applied at the right rate, in the right place, and at the right time (Roberts, 2007; Bruulsema et al., 2009). In the lead article of a 5-part series on 4R Nutrient Stewardship in the American Society of Agronomy’s Crops and Soils magazine, Bruulsema et al. (2009) wrote “This simple concept can help farmers and the public understand how the right management practices for fertilizer contribute to sustainability for agriculture. Getting practices “right” depends on important roles played by many partners including farmers, crop advisers, scientists, policymakers, consumers, and the general public.” The concept of 4R stewardship not only provides structural stability to our own management decisions, but also offers us a simple and effective means of communicating to those outside agriculture about how our management contributes to sustainability. To truly be “right” practices must be site-specific for the crop, field, and for the zone within the field. Yet, the scientific foundation upon which 4R nutrient stewardship is built and that leads us to nutrient BMPs is universal.

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