Waterloo, IN Facility Achieves 4R Certification
Posted on June 27, 2016
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program has announced that The Andersons, Inc's Waterloo, Indiana facility has been added to its growing list of nutrient service providers to achieve certified status.
The facility is the first in Indiana to earn this status under the voluntary certification program, a concentrated effort by the agriculture industry to significantly reduce and prevent nutrient runoff, which has contributed to water quality issues in Lake Erie.
“The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program has proven to be an integral part of our operations at our Waterloo Farm Center,” said Anne Cook, manager of Safety & Environmental for The Andersons Plant Nutrient Group. “The staff has been instrumental in meeting the rigorous requirements in becoming the first location in the state of Indiana to be 4R certified.”
The Waterloo Farm Center provides seed, fertilizer and chemicals, and also offers application services. The Andersons’ team at Waterloo consists of two Certified Crop Advisers, along with four operations crewmembers.
Now in its third year, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program certifies service providers in the Western Lake Erie Basin that apply nutrients or make recommendations in accordance with 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles – which refers to using the Right Source of Nutrients at the Right Rate and Right Time in the Right Place. Program participants must go through an annual, independent, third-party audit and demonstrate they both understand and follow 4R principles.
Over 2.7 million acres and approximately 5,600 grower customers are serviced by the 34 certified facilities in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana that have earned 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Approximately 70 percent of those acres located in the Western Lake Erie Basin.
“By participating in the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program, The Andersons’ Waterloo facility has proven its ongoing commitment to the long-term improvement of Lake Erie’s water quality,” said Carrie-Vollmer Sanders, Nutrient Stewardship Council chairwoman.
Andrew Allman, executive director of the Nutrient Stewardship Council, said, “We’re proud of The Andersons’ dedication and efforts in having multiple facilities go through the audit process and earn certification They are setting the standard for peers to follow as the first 4R Program Certified facility in Indiana.”
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program is governed and guided by the Nutrient Stewardship Council, a diverse set of stakeholders from business, government, university and non-governmental sectors with a common goal of maintaining agricultural productivity while also improving the quality of Lake Erie and its contributing watersheds. The program is administered by the Ohio AgriBusiness Association. For more information, visit 4Rcertified.org, email info@oaba.net or call 614-326-7520.
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