Hot News

5.06.2008

By CAROL KINSLEY
Staff Writer

CLAYTON, Del. — “No other state works as collaboratively as Delaware,” said William Rohrer, program administrator for Delaware Department of Agriculture Nutrient Management program, at a gathering to update the press and the public on the progress the state has made in addressing the water quality issues associated with nutrient loading.
A unique citizens’ alliance of public policy makers, academia, conservation advocates, agricultural stakeholders and industry have worked together since 1999 to develop the nutrient management program.
Delaware Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse called it “the Delaware way” to success: To accept challenges, rise to meet them and to provide solutions by working together.
Scuse said the program has had “nothing but cooperation” from state agencies and poultry companies “working together as a team to find and implement solutions to nutrient loading of our waterways.”
A main challenge, Scuse said, has been conflicting priorities, including those of well-intentioned groups with their own agendas.
John Hughes, secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, saluted all the agencies involved — as well as the farmers themselves — and in particular, the Nutrient Management Commission, which he called “a strong, tough body.”
As a testimony to what the commission has done, he said, “the nutrient management plans of farmers meet the pollution control requirements” of DNREC.
“Delaware farmers are more bound to the land. They know how precious and valuable ag land is. We don’t own the environment in Delaware; farmers do. If we want to get anywhere, we’ve got to work with farmers.”
He noted that the state has, for some reason, drawn “fire” from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. “We didn’t do it their way, but we met their goals,” he said.
Dr. Jan Seitz, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension director, introduced three UD professors who have been engaged in the nutrient management for many years.
Dr. William Saylor, professor of poultry nutrition, has in recent months received national attention for his work to help poultry companies reduce nutrient emissions, particularly phosphorus. One new tool is the enzyme phytase, which helps release phosphorus, normally locked up in indigestible phytate, so that it can be utilized by the chicken. Consequently, less supplemental phosphorus is needed in the poultry feed. Used in all feed in Delaware, phytase has lowered phosphorus levels in farm fields by 20 percent or more.
Dr. Dave Hansen, new ag program leader, with Dr. Greg Binford and others has been instrumental in the growth and success of the nutrient management program, Seitz said.
Hansen said anyone with 10 or more acres who applies nutrient has been required to take classes.
“We’ve had to ‘sell the sizzle,’” he said.
With all the staff and county agents working together, more than 300 three-hour classes have been offered.
“We’ve spent a minimum of six hours in front of every person involved in agriculture in the state,” he said.
In addition, there have been on-farm research projects and demonstrations, including 150 field trials.
“This is Delaware-specific information,” Hansen said. “People believe it because they see it.”
In a five-year, phased-in program, all farmers and other nutrient handlers have been required to develop and implement phosphorus-based nutrient management plans, to maintain nutrient handling records, to obtain and update nutrient certification and to submit an annual report.
Seitz also commended Dr. Tom Sims, who has worked on soil and water quality issues since 1982 and studied how to manage nutrients, keeping them in soil, not in water.
Sims offered to quantify and document the good work that has been accomplished by the nutrient management program with a nutrient mass balance study, which was recently published.
The report notes that surpluses of nutrients have been decreased over the past 11 years, which should lead to less nitrogen and phosphorus losses to water.
Wrapping up the news conference, Scuse said it would be a challenge “to find another state that has come anywhere near acccomplishing what this state has in the way of nutrient management. We are all very proud of our efforts to protect and preserve the environment for the future.”