WSP12534 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Core 4 Conservation: A New Strategy Using Old Tricks to Protect Water Quality (continued) 001562 "Core 4 is common sense conservation," said John A. Hassell, Executive Director of Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), a unique public-private, agriculture-based partnership leading the national campaign to promote this integrated approach to farm management. "Core 4 Conservation is adaptable to virtually any farming situation. When it is fine-tuned to meet an individual farmer's specific needs, it will protect the environment, save money, and increase profits," he said. Core 4 Conservation also advocates annual evaluation of a farm's integrated management system to ensure the practices fit the farmer's needs and specific farm characteristics. Scientists and other experts estimate that the use of this approach can reduce NPS pollution from cropland by as much as 80 percent. For example, no-till reduces soil erosion by 90 percent when compared to an intensive tillage system, and conservation buffers remove 50 percent or more of nutrients and pesticides and 75 percent or more of soil in runoff. "Improved environmental quality is achievable with today's high-production systems if they are managed properly," said Jerry Hatfield, laboratory director of the USDA-ARS National Soil Tuth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. "We can make environmental quality and profit a winning combination if we break away from traditional farming methods." Hatfield said research in Iowa watersheds has shown a significant decrease in pollutant loadings with implementation of efficient management systems. "Core 4 common sense conservation is a way producers can design the most economical management plan for their land that will, in addition, provide environmental benefits," he said. The key to implementing Core 4 Conservation across the country is on-farm assistance, stresses Hassell. District conservationists, county extension agents, soil and water conservation district staff, agricultural retailers, and independent crop consultants will be the primary source for local information to help develop Core 4 Conservation management plans. Five full-color brochures describing the Core 4 approach and practices are available from CTIC and local NRCS and extension offices. In addition, CTIC is developing Core 4 Conservation kits, fact sheets, and other informational material to promote the integrated management approach. [For more information contact the Conservation Technology Information Center at (765) 494-9555 or visit the CTlC web site at wwwctic.purdue.edu..] Notes on Education Our Environment, Coast-to-Coast A month-long trek across the country sounds like nonstop fun. This summer, five teachers are leading a group of 20 high school students from Harrisonburg, Virginia, on a 34-day, 10,000-mile field trip around the country that will likely prove to be the greatest learning experience these students have ever had. This endeavor, known as "Coast-to-Coast 2000," will allow students to explore how environmental issues combine with social, economic, and political realities to create natural resource management challenges. Ecology/earth science teacher Ryan Sensenig explained the Coast-to-Coast philosophy: "We need to equip our youth with the skills needed to live in an increasingly complex world. It is essential that education be inextricably linked to the issues and realities of the surrounding communities. Connecting the educational process to the pulse of the local environment makes education relevant." The objectives of Coast- to-Coast 2000 are ambitious but attainable. The trip will (1) allow students to be scientists by working with professionals in a variety of field investigations; (2) foster a dialogue among educators, students, and resource professionals regarding how to meet our nation's growing challenges in natural resource management; (3) bring the world into our schools by providing case studies, interviews, data, and student responses on the Coast-to-Coast web site; (4) give students an opportunity to critique, analyze, and debate the diverse philosophies of natural resource management by meeting the people immersed in the issues; and (5) give voice to students' proposals on how to develop a sustainable land ethic. 20 MARCH 2OOO,ISSUE 160 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS.NOTES