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Press Release
December 9, 2004
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Related Contact:
Bruce Lewis
1-707-964-3844
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Greenseeker Technology To Help With Nitrogen Runoff in The Chesapeake Bay While Improving Farmer Yeilds and Profits
Farmers Will Be Challenged to Provide Most of the Solution
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia - Colonial Soil & Water Conservation District has received the first of several grants needed to create an environmental credit trading program that will generate income for Lower James River farmers and reduce the amount of nitrogen flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
Brian Noyes, District manager of the Conservation District, says the use of GreenSeeker, new optical sensor technology that determines a plant's nitrogen needs in a fraction of a second and delivers just the amount needed, will play a key role in the new trading program.
"GreenSeeker improves the efficiency of nitrogen used in cropping systems up to 80%," explained Noyes. "If only the amount of nitrogen the crop needs is applied each year, then yields are increased, and less fertilizer is available to enter the watershed. The nitrogen savings help farmers pay for the technology, while generating credits they can sell to developers and municipal waste water facilities for additional income."
Noyes says this is significant because state plans expect agriculture to produce 80 per cent of the reduction in nitrogen flow into the Lower James River. "Although only 7% of the problem is from crop agriculture and 80-85% from urban runoff and Municipal Waste Water Treatment," says Noyes, "the cost for agriculture to make the reduction is projected by EPA to be $30 million compared to more than $1 billion to reduce only 20% of the reduction goal from urban sources. GreenSeeker and No-till farming methods will help us achieve our reduction goal." No-till methods currently in place for corn, wheat and soybeans have made the soil so stable that there was virtually no soil erosion, and thus less runoff, even when Hurricane Floyd dumped 19 inches on the area several years ago, he added. In addition research showed a 99.9% reduction in sediment from the "No-till" System compared to conventional management systems.
Looking ahead, the Conservation District hopes to have a trading program in place within three years, according to Noyes, who notes: "If farmers could sell their credits from nitrogen reductions to urban sources for as little as $5 each, they could triple their income." The same costs for urban storm water practices that remove nitrogen are more than 50 times higher.
"It's all about restoring our fisheries and cleaning up the water in a more cost effective manner," he said. The grant was endorsed by the four primary crop growing associations in Virginia and a commission that serves sixteen urbanized localities in the Lower James River Watershed.
About GreenSeeker
GreenSeeker won a USDA award in 2002 as the "most innovative new method of applying fertilizer in a century." Since then, GreenSeeker technology has been rolled out to farming communities around the world for real-world application and continued testing in new crops.
About NTech
NTech Industries, headquartered in Ukiah, California, is the world leader in optical sensors for agricultural research, precision fertilizer applications, and weed and pest control for military and civilian uses. The web address is www.ntechindustries.com.
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