March 2020 - 29

other universities, federal laboratories
and potato processors.
Camire said the team plans to examine
how a national sample of consumers
accept these new potato varieties.
- Beth Staples, University of Maine
USDA to invest
$56 million in watersheds
The USDA will invest $56 million
in 2020 to help agricultural producers
improve water quality in more than
300 high-priority watersheds across
the country.
The Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) is continuing two
of its successful landscape-level
water quality efforts, the Mississippi
River
Basin Healthy Watersheds
Initiative (MRBI) and National Water
Quality Initiative (NWQI).
The NRCS will make available
$38.9 million this year through
NWQI. The Initiative is a partnership
among NRCS,
state
water
quality
agencies and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to
identify and
address impaired water bodies through
voluntary conservation. Through the
Initiative, NRCS provides targeted
funding for financial and technical
assistance in small watersheds most
in need and where farmers can use
conservation practices to address
impaired surface water. In 2019,
NWQI was expanded to include
protection of both surface and ground
sources of drinking water.
Water quality is improving in
NWQI watersheds. State water quality
agency partners report that 27% of
NWQI monitoring watersheds show
an improvement in water quality in
at least one of the NWQI-monitored
pollutants (based on 2016 data).
Further, 81% of these improvements
can be attributed to or associated with
agricultural conservation practices
implemented by farmers and ranchers.
Since its launch, NWQI has:
* Helped producers implement
conservation on 825,000 acres
* Reduced sediment loss by 850,000
tons
* Reduced phosphorous loss by two
million pounds
* Reduced nitrogen loss by 9.6 million
pounds
Also, the NRCS will make available
$17.5 million to producers in 13 states:
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South
Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
MRBI supports each state's nutrient
loss reduction strategy with overall
goals of improving water quality,
restoring wetlands and enhancing
wildlife habitat while ensuring
economic viability of agricultural lands
along the nation's largest river.
Nutrien to fund agfocused
center at CSU
Nutrien is providing Colorado State
University's College of Agricultural
Sciences $1 million each year over the
next 10 years. This $10 million gift
will fund state-of-the-art research
and teaching initiatives on campus
and provide scholarship support to
students, elevating CSU into a position
of leadership in developing a diverse,
skilled agricultural workforce and
boosting Nutrien's ability to deliver
industry-leading products.
Nutrien, a global company with
offices not far from campus
in
Loveland, Colorado, has provided crop
inputs and expert agronomic services
for more than 50 years. The company
has operations and investments in
14 countries and 20,000 employees,
including more than 600 CSU alumni.
Mike Frank, executive vice president
and CEO of Retail at Nutrien, said
studying strategic plans put together
by CSU and the College of Agricultural
Sciences that look 10 years into the
future inspired his company to seek a
partnership with the university. He said
CSU's commitment to sustainability,
diversity and inclusion, global research
and high-tech agriculture perfectly fit
with Nutrien's vision.
" We're extremely excited about
our partnership with CSU - the
University itself and in particular
the College of Agricultural Sciences, "
Frank said. " When we talk to CSU and
the folks in the ag school about their
strategic vision, it really aligns with
what we're doing.
" We have an incredible responsibility
and opportunity in agriculture to feed a
growing population around the world.
The American farmers have embraced
that, and the programs and research at
CSU and the tools and knowledge that
CSU imparts to its students really fits
with where agriculture is going.
Nutrien's gift - the largest in the
of Agricultural Sciences'
College
history - will impact the college in
numerous areas:
* Scholarships for students in the
college, focusing on education and
success of women and students
from diverse backgrounds.
* Program enhancements to help
students become career-ready in the
field of agriculture, and ensuring
they persist in their studies through
graduation and placement in the
industry.
* Funding to attract top talent in
the application of technology to
agricultural problems including food
safety, security and sustainability.
* Sponsorship of high-impact engagement
and educational events at the nexus of
technology, innovation and agriculture,
such as CSU's AgInnovation Summit.
* Sponsorship of the Nutrien Ag Day
BBQ each fall, held annually to
coincide with a home football game.
CSU's
College
of
Agricultural
Science has more than 120 faculty
and more than 2,200 undergraduate
student majors and minors - 65%
of them female - plus 298 graduate
students. Nearly 30% of agricultural
sciences students are the first in their
family to attend college.
- Tony Phifer, Colorado State University
Correction
Incorrect information regarding
Iott Seed Farms' acreage appeared
on pages 14-15 of the January 2020
issue of Spudman. The correct
acreage for Manistee seed potatoes
at Iott Seed Farms in 2019 was 150
acres. Dennis Iott's statement on
growing Manistee is as follows:
" The solids of Manistee are a
weakness, they could be better.
The main strength of the variety
is that it stores very well and chips
fairly late. "
Spudman regrets the error.
Spudman * March 2020
29
March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020
