IFCA Partners With Agrible For 4R Nutrient Management

To meet requirements for the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (INLRS), the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) and Agrible, Inc. have launched a program to document all 4R nutrient management practices.

The INLRS will require a reduction of nitrogen losses by 15% and phosphorus losses by 25% by the year 2025. The INLRS was announced two years ago after being developed by state and federal agencies, agricultural groups, water treatment and water supply officials, environmental groups and university scientists.

Illinois retailers have already embraced the IFCA and Agrible platform as part of their voluntary compliance.  

“This program provides useful metrics and tools to both retailers and growers to track the tenants of the 4Rs and enables retailers to be more valuable to their growers,” says Karl Barnhart, Chief Marketing Officer for Brandt in Springfield. “Agrible recognizes the critical role that the retailer plays in grower relationships. The retailer must be successful if the grower is to be successful, and vice versa.”

The program is built to capture and document the metrics of all nutrient applications made to meet 4R practices–the right source, right rate, right time to apply and the right placement.

“We are combining the stewardship commitment of Illinois fertilizer dealers and crop advisers to implement 4R practices with Agrible’s ability to capture this information and document continued progress over time,” says Jean Payne, President of the IFCA. “We will be able to demonstrate the progress that Illinois agriculture is making to reduce nutrient losses and to ensure that these practices support a sustainable, profitable future for nutrient use in Illinois crop production.”