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A
cross the country, thousands of people representing agri-chemical
companies advise growers and ranchers on crop production, crop protection
and natural resource management. The right advice can make a significant
difference on the grower's bottom line. The wrong advice can be
costly, not only to the farmer, but also to the environment.
How can farmers know who to trust?
Enter the Certified Crop Adviser program.
"The program was initiated
at the national level in 1991 by a group of agribusiness leaders,
and government and university people who felt there was a need to
demonstrate to the public that the people who were making recommendations
to farmers for both nutrients and chemicals were doing a professional
job," said Bob Stevens, Washington State University Cooperative
Extension soil scientist.
A proposal floated in the U.S. Department
of Agriculture to decouple retail dealers and marketers of fertilizer
and ag chemicals from the people who make the recommendations provided
the impetus, according to Scott McKinnie, executive director of
Far West Agribusiness Association in Spokane.
"They were trying
to say it was a conflict of interest," McKinnie said. "We know our
people better than that. You may fool growers once, but you won't
get a chance to do it a second time. Everything just costs too much."
"There
was a need to demonstrate to the public that the people who
were making recommendations to farmers for both nutrients and
chemicals were doing a professional job." |
To certify, fieldmen must meet certain requirements for education
and experience and pass comprehensive state and national exams that
evaluate their knowledge of soil fertility, integrated pest management,
crop production, soil management and water management.
They also must sign and agree to uphold a code of ethics. To
maintain their certification, they must earn 40 hours of continuing
education every two years. Many of those credits are earned at field days
and other educational events sponsored by Cooperative Extension.
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The American Society of Agronomy coordinates
the program nationally. Regional boards administer the program throughout
the country and parts of Canada. The boards are staffed by volunteers
with agricultural and natural resource backgrounds. They represent
universities, agribusiness and government agencies. Far West, acting
as agent for the northwest board, administers the operational aspects
of the CCA program for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and
British Columbia.
Having
the ASA, a professional society, oversee the program provides it
with a credibility it would not have if it were run by an industry
group, according to McKinnie.
Stevens, whose job is providing education
and technical information in nutrient management, soil management
and water quality to producers and fieldmen, served on the first
Northwest CCA board. He also wrote the first state exam.
"The program is designed to assure
growers and the public that the people who are making the recommendations
have a basic level of agronomic knowledge to base their recommendations
on," Stevens said.
Since the program began in 1992, about
750 men and women in the Northwest have met certification standards,
and 14,000 in the United States and Canada.
Has the CCA program been successful?
"It's hard to measure," McKinnie said.
"A CCA is sort of like a CPA for agronomy. Will a CPA get you more
money back on your tax return than a bookkeeper? Maybe yes, maybe
no. But, you build a lot of confidence in that CPA because you know
just by that designation he [or she] is required to take extra training
and has kept up with the latest information regarding his [or her]
profession. You can translate that to CCA's. They are required to
get 40 hours of continuing education every two years. In the long
term, I think the grower is going to get better information.
"It doesn't mean that those who aren't
CCA's aren't competent, but CCA's have an improved opportunity to
deliver better and more timely information. I believe the CCA program
is a win for Extension, a win for our industry, a win for the grower,
a win for the consumer and for the environment," McKinnie said.
While Stevens is no longer directly
involved in the program, he still plays a role. "We still call on
him," McKinnie said. "He understands the program well as well as
the needs of the grower and the fieldman."
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