Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center

The Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center (MAWRC) is a research and education organization dedicated to helping Minnesota farmers address water quality concerns, including those related to good nutrient management. 4R Nutrient Stewardship incorporates the basic principles of proper nutrient management, one of the key components of farming systems relating to water quality and sustainability, yet retains the flexibility needed to address the many variations in soils, crops and climate in which farmers operate.

We currently offer a resource evaluation program that farmers can use to rate themselves in key areas related to farming practices and water quality. The nutrient management section is built around the principles of the 4R program and we utilize nutrientstewardship.org as an external resource. MAWRC provides outreach activities to farmer audiences and to non-farmers, especially those concerned about water quality and wanting to know “are farmers doing the right thing?”. 4R materials are one of the tools in outreach toolbox to help explain the role of fertilizer BMPs in crop management.