Duration: 10/01/2007 to 09/30/2012

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Issues

The use of fertilizer and soil amendments is critical to profitable production of agronomic and horticultural crops in the US. There is a large research base available evaluating the use of traditional fertilizers and soil amendments, documenting the economic and environmental impacts of their use. However, non-conventional products for agriculture, including some soil amendments, growth stimulants, or soil fertility management programs may be promoted and sold on the premise of replacing or extending the efficacy of standard crop production inputs. For producers to make informed decisions regarding use of these products or programs, they must have access to information that provides fair and scientifically valid evaluation of these products or programs. Without such information, clientele may invest in products or programs which are of little or no value to them, or may be inappropriate for their climate, soils, or cropping system, or which may have detrimental environmental impact.


Justification

Many of the products or programs evaluated through the committee are expensive to use and are often marketed under different names in different states. The names of the products or programs may change frequently as manufacturer or marketing entities change. The committee has functioned as a repository for the collection and dissemination of information about the active ingredients for products or programs, along with information on manufacturers and distributors of the products or programs, as well as any research which has been conducted on the product or program.

In many states, specialized agricultural products must be registered and/or licensed for sale. Research information on products or programs provided by the committee or individual committee members has been used by state regulatory officials in determining if a product or program has value and should be registered or licensed.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

" Committee members will meet once a year to review and plan activities, share information on new products or programs, discuss publications in development or needs for new publications, and plan educational efforts.

" The committee will maintain a file of information and promotional materials for specialized agricultural products, called the product list, which will be updated annually.

" The committee will maintain an electronic compendium of products and their performance in research studies. The compendium originally existed in an original published form with two supplements, and was converted to a searchable electronic form in 2005. This compendium contains information about the performance of specialized products and programs which meet committee criteria for publication.

" The committee has a history of summarizing research results on specific products or programs into concise North Central Regional Research Bulletins. This effort will continue as information on emerging products or programs develops.

" The committee is in the process of developing a website which will serve as a central repository for committee information and publications which can be easily accessed by clientele. Currently, information is available on multiple websites or in hardcopy form only. The product list, compendium on research results, and North Central Regional Bulletins contain significant information which is not available elsewhere. The committee website will make this information available to a broader audience within and outside the North Central region.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

" Information on new products or programs will be used to update the product list.

" Information on the performance of new products or programs will be added to the compendium.

" New regional publications will be developed as information is available.

" Updated information resources will be made available on the committee website for use by a wide range of clientele: producers, crop consultants, Extension Educators, Natural Resources Conservation Service staff, regulatory agencies, and others who advise producers.

" Information compiled and disseminated by the committee will be used in a wide range of settings, including Extension workshops, supplemental websites, and regulatory decisions each year.

" Membership to the committee from states outside the North Central region will be sought to broaden input to the committee, and to more widely disseminate committee information.

Organization/Governance

Current Membership

John Sawyer, Iowa State University;
Daryll Warncke, Michigan State University;
Peter Scharf, University of Missouri;
George Rehm, University of Minnesota;
Jim Gerwing, South Dakota State University;
Ed Lentz, The Ohio State University;
Dave Franzen, North Dakota State University;
Richard Ferguson, University of Nebraska;
Jim Camberato, Purdue University;
Fabian Fernandez, University of Illinois;
Xinhua Xin, Oregon State University

Governance

A chair and secretary will be elected from committee membership for two-year terms.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

CO, IA, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, TX, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions