Nitrogen Management Research in the President’s Water Quality Initiative

Abstract

Contamination of our ground and surface-water supplies from normal use of pesticides and fertilizers is a growing national concern. Efforts from both the public and private sectors are required to develop safer pest controls and to adopt environmentally sensitive farm production practices. The President’s Water Quality Initiative is based on three policy objectives (Bush, 1989): First, the federal government is committed to protecting ground-water resources from fertilizer and pesticide contamination without jeopardizing the economic vitality of U.S. agriculture. Second, water-quality programs must be designed to accommodate both the immediate need to halt contamination and the future need to alter fundamental farm production practices that result in contamination. Third, farmers must ultimately be responsible for changing production practices to avoid contaminating ground and surface waters. Federal and state resources can provide valuable information and technical assistance to producers so that environmentally sensitive techniques can be implemented at minimum cost.