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Partnership for Ag Resource Management impacting Great Lakes Basin
A project formed to improve water quality in the Great Lakes Basin is meeting that objective while improving the bottom-line of farmers and ag retailers.
The Partnership for Ag Resource Management (PARM) started in 2010 with the objective of identifying and promoting market-based solutions that improve farm economics and natural resources.
Thomas Green, the director of PARM, says their efforts have led to reduced phosphorous levels in the Sandusky River Watershed by connecting farmers to retailers offering products and services like cover crops, precision ag, and variable rate technology.
“When we started the project, we heard from the ag retailers that they really had an opportunity not only to educate their farmer customers but also their staff about the extent of the problem and the solutions that they had right there in their inventory.”
Since the Partnership began, retailers in the Basin have reported increasing profits in variable rate phosphorous application, foliar feeding and soil testing—which fit within the framework of the 4R’s: right source, right rate, right time, and right place.
PARM is funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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