NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE  July 17, 2002
CONTACT: Karen Scanlon or Dan Towery (765) 494-9555  

Want to know about producers who are making money with conservation?

At the Core 4 Conservation booth of the Ag Publications Summit, in Reno on July 23-24, and you’ll be introduced to several producer-led groups that are leading local-level efforts to increase conservation – without compromising producer profits.

Hosted by the Conservation Technology Information Center, the Core 4 Conservation booth will feature Core 4 Conservation Alliances – volunteer groups comprised of producers, landowners, agribusiness, advisors and others interested in addressing conservation and economic needs of area agriculture. Alliances are encouraged to mirror CTIC’s success with its public/private partnership by placing producers in leadership roles and requesting members from the public and private sector to serve as advisors.

 CTIC encourages alliances to organize large scale, side-by-side systems demonstrations to promote the environmental responsibility of farmers as well as the economic and conservation benefits of the conservation practices selected by the alliances. These demonstration farms keep records concerning input costs, time saved, yields and profitability and present this information to alliance audiences. "Farmers talking to farmers" is the best way to change agricultural practices and to get past the traditional reluctance to try new management techniques. 

 Core 4 Conservation Alliances network are founded on and driven by the synergy of many people working together to promote common goals – conserving resources while improving profitability. 

• By sharing responsibilities, no one individual or group has to “do it all.”

• Drawing on skills from the public and private sectors, Alliances have access to unlimited technical, financial and social resources.

• Alliances of producers and ag partners become powerful political forces and a voice for change at the local, state and national level.

• Alliances offer a forum of exchange of agricultural conservation information and an efficient mechanism to introduce new technology at the local, regional and state levels.

 Alliances help to create local-level successes – and create good news stories for agriculture. Alliances carry the national campaign banner of Better Soil and Cleaner Water for our environment, Greater Profits for America’s producers and a Brighter Future for all of us.

 The Conservation Technology Information Center is a nonprofit organization, based in West Lafayette, Ind., dedicated to environmentally responsible and economically viable agricultural decision-making. CTIC is supported by a partnership of individuals, corporations, governmental agencies, associations, foundations, universities and media. For more information, go to www.ctic.purdue.edu.

###