NEWS RELEASE

FARM LEADERS ANNOUNCE NATIONAL GOALS TO IMPROVE 
SOIL AND WATER QUALITY 

Washington DC, April 22, 1999 -- During the Earth Day Agriculture Celebration here, farm leaders announced a coordinated national drive that "will result in better soil, cleaner water, greater on-farm profits and a brighter future for all of us." The announcement was made by Paul Kindinger, chair, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), on behalf of a public-private agriculturally based partnership composed of more than 60 farmer-led organizations, agricultural businesses, state and federal government agencies, universities and other agricultural leaders. Partners will actively work with farmers to increase usage of four key management systems.

"We have dubbed this effort Core 4," announced Kindinger who is also CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association. "Core 4 will result in better soil, cleaner water, greater on-farm profits and a brighter future for all of us."

The Core 4 approach encompasses the integration of four core systems:

• Conservation tillage
• Crop nutrient management
• Weed and pest management
• Conservation buffers

Scientists and other experts estimate that the use of this approach can reduce water pollution from cropland by as much as 80 percent.

"The approach is based on common sense. It's adaptable to virtually any farming situation; it can be fine-tuned to meet an individual farmer's specific needs; and it can improve on-farm profitability," noted Kindinger. Farm profitability is "critical given the economic stress faced by the farm community today."

National goals announced for two of the four systems are:

1. Increase the use of conservation tillage to 50 percent of planted cropland by 2002.
   
2. Increase the use of conservation buffers to two million miles by 2002.

Baselines and goals are being established for the other two systems; nutrient management and weed and pest management. Next Earth Day, the partnership will report on the advancements made by the Nation's farmers during the 1999 crop season, and subsequent seasons.

"As the Earth's population grows, so, too, will the need for even more of the renewable resources provided by agriculture," concluded Kindinger. "Yet, with less land available for production of these resources (each year), it's farmers who will have to become more, efficient producers of quality food, fiber, energy, and, yes, water, air, soil and wildlife."

Other speakers at the celebration were Senator Thad Cochran, Representative Charles Stenholm, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Pearlie Reed and National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Officer James Garner. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Senior Vice President Randall T. Jones moderated the program. Earth Day Agriculture Celebrations or related programs are held in all 50 states.

The Conservation Technology Information Center is a non-profit organization based in West Lafayette, IN. The center promotes the enhancement of soil and water quality through the use of environmentally beneficial and economically viable natural resource systems. Further information is available on our website.

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Download photos and Core 4 Logos from the media page.