Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Tom Morris welcomed the group, reviewed the agenda, and introduced Walter Smith as facilitator. Tom noted that this was the first formal meeting of the Multistate Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group (NEERA 1002) on Adaptive Management for Improved Nutrient Management. He noted that the groups concept was first explored at a meeting in Washington D.C. with representatives from the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Iowa Soybean Association, and university scientists in Washington, DC in August 2008. At that meeting a draft definition of adaptive management was established. The draft definition is: An on-going process of developing improved management practices for efficient production and resource conservation by use of participatory learning through continuous systematic assessment. Participants include producers, agricultural service providers, policy makers, regulators, scientists, and other interested stakeholders.

The group in Washington agreed to meet again at the National Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America in Houston, TX in October 2008. Invitations were sent to scientists, extension specialists, extension educators, NRCS personnel and others who may have an interest in the topic of adaptive management for improved nutrient management. A plan of work was developed at the meeting in Houston that included: submit an application to create a NIFA multi-state coordinating committee on adaptive management, and submit two proposals for a joint symposium of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and the Soil Science Society of America on adaptive management at the national meetings of both societies.

A proposal was submitted by Tom Morris to the directors of the Northeast Region Experiment Stations. The proposal was accepted and the multistate coordinating committee NEERA 1002 entitled Adaptive management for improved nutrient management was created. A joint Symposium was completed about adaptive management at the SWCS Conference July 2009 in Dearborn, MI, and at the SSSA Meeting November 2009, in Pittsburgh, PA. The joint symposia were well attended with over 100 members attending at least one or two of the joint symposium speakers at the SSSA meeting and about 35 people attending the SWCS symposium.

UPDATES

Tom noted that Peter Kyveryga (ISA) and Chris Gross (NRCS) would report on Objective 1 and 2 of the NEERA Plan of Work during the technical session.

Jorge Delgado updated Objective 3 by noting the success of the Dearborn joint symposium. He also announced that the SWCS meeting would be held in St. Louis, MO in July, and the SSSA meeting in Long Beach, CA in November next year. A call for papers has been requested for the SWCS conference. He asked if this group wanted to continue with joint symposia at the meetings. Also, in 2011, SWCS is planning to publish a special issue on adaptive management. The SWCS editorial board is looking for proposals.

Tom asked for opinions on the symposia. The group brainstormed ideas for symposia. Harold van Es made the suggestion to conduct a workshop using adult learning processes described by Dr. Bell at the symposium earlier in the day. The symposium would be interactive and target consultants, farmers and other ag service providers. The group agreed that this was a good idea for a joint symposium for 2010.

Tracy Blackmer updated Objective 3. The book on Adaptive Management has been approved by SWCS with boundaries set for nitrogen and corn. Tracy asked for more input from the group.

Tracy updated Objective 4. Website development. It was agreed that we would continue using the Iowa Soybean Associations web site to exchange information and post information about NEERA 1002s work.

TECHNICAL SESSION

1. Peter Kyveryga made a presentation on how data collected in adaptive management programs could be used to set benchmarks for efficient nutrient management. Peter noted that if experiments or evaluations were set up properly at many locations with farmers as collaborators and the results analyzed using categorical statistical analysis, then fertilizer recommendations and nutrient management plans could be evaluated for relative efficiency.

2. Chris Gross opened a discussion session on the development of the NRCS 590 standard and its applicability to adaptive management noting first the scale differences between the two: the 590 standard is strategic and adaptive management is tactical. Chris then noted he wanted to build in flexibility to the 590 standard, and that the flexibility for adapting the national 590 standard is at the state level. He needs the input of this group to continue making the 590 standard flexible for adaptive management. Doug Beegle noted that after the land grant recommendations were made, then adjustments could be made to the recommendations using the data because manure and fertilizer recommendations from the land grant universities are starting points and not end points. There was discussion that state laws and agencies, and even the 590 standard, were not currently flexible enough to allow for adjustments to existing recommendations provided by the land grants. In some cases, using the latest science to improve fertilizer use was penalized by the rigidity of the plan. This problem was seen as a data-driven documentation problem. Field-by-field record keeping is the key to flexibility in recommendations. Chris noted that after adaptive management concepts are incorporated into the 590 standard, he would need help from this group to train district conservationists and other NRCS personnel.

Tom noted that NRCS is working with this group to develop an NRCS Tech Note for including adaptive management in the 590 nutrient management standard. Tom Morris will send the current version of the Tech Note to everyone when the draft copies are completed.

NEXT STEPS

The group agreed to:

1. Hold NEERA 1002 annual meetings at the national SSSA meetings.

2. Use webinars 2-3 times a year to meet and discuss NEERA 1002 business.

3. Work together to develop the Tech Note explaining how to include adaptive management in the 590 nutrient management standard.

4. Have Quirine Ketterings provide a webinar in mid-winter about how she is using adaptive management in her nutrient management program in New York.

5. Find someone else to agree to provide a webinar in the spring or early summer about how they are using adaptive management in their nutrient management program.