Fertilizer is an important part of agriculture and more people need to know it, advocates The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). TFI has long stood as the voice of the country’s fertilizer industry, and they tackle the industry’s needs in issues through legislation, education, and public communication programs. They currently focus on the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program campaign, which promotes the responsible use of fertilizers through the four tenants of the program; known as the 4Rs: the Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time and Right Place. A partnership between TFI and the Nutrients for Life Foundation (NFLF) is introducing the 4R concepts to the country’s 3rd and 4th graders with the 4R Reader.
The NFLF is an educational group that promotes the importance of “responsible fertilizer use in growing healthy crops, increasing food production, and feeding a growing population.” The partnership with TFI will help to educate school children on the basics of nutrient stewardship. The Readers consist of a comic strip-formatted reading passage and a science experiment. After reading and discussing the 4Rs and fertilizer use from the reading passages, students can complete an included class science project where they grow grass with and without utilizing the 4R principles. This allows the students to compare the results and see firsthand how following 4R nutrient stewardship principles benefits agriculture and the environment. The 4R Reader initiative is just one of many such educational programs the NFLF promotes in U.S. schools.
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture.
For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.