PA4R Nutrient Stewardship Alliance to Offer “4waRd Thinking” Training to Farm Advisers
Shillington, Pennsylvania (October 14, 2021) – The Pennsylvania 4R Nutrient Stewardship Alliance (PA4R) has received funding through a 2021 Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Professional Development grant to provide education to Pennsylvania’s farm advisers about 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices. This funding includes the development of six webinars on 4R topics as well as the creation of “4waRd Thinking” cohort designed to help 30 farm advisers gain in-depth, in-field education and exposure to 4R practices.
The first set of webinars are open to farm advisers in both the public and private sector and will be held on three consecutive Tuesday afternoons – October 26, November 2, and November 9, 2021. The topics to be covered include:
- Crop Planning+: Using 4R Agronomic Practices to Ensure Profitable Regulatory Compliance
- The Evolution of Nitrogen Management (Beyond the Mass Balance Calculation)
- Using Advanced Nitrogen Management Technologies to Move the Needle
CCA (Soil and Water or Nutrient Management, depending on the topics) and Act 38 Nutrient Management Credits will be available for all sessions.
The second set of webinars will be held in the fall of 2022. Dates, times, and topics to be announced at a later date.
In addition to the planned webinars, PA4R is excited to roll out its “4waRd Thinking” learning cohort of farm advisers working in Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay watershed. This deep-dive learning opportunity will kick off in February 2022 and is open to any adviser working in the Bay watershed who connects with farmers on decisions related to the Right Rate, Source, Time, & Place (4Rs) of nutrient applications. Thirty participants will be selected from the applicant pool to attend specialized in-person workshops, receive personalized coaching, and participate in virtual learning opportunities focused on applying 4R practices at the operational level and facilitating conversations around adoption with the farmers they serve. Throughout the 18-month cohort learning experience, each participant must commit to working with ten of their farmer clients to advocate for the implementation of RIGHT Nutrient Stewardship practices.
Registration for the 2021 webinars and applications for cohort participation can both be found at 4RMidAtlantic.com/events.
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The Pennsylvania 4R Alliance is a non-profit organization committed to working collectively with farmers and farm advisers to deliver science-based systems that improve crop productivity through increased nutrient use efficiency and reduce losses of nutrients to the environment.