EPA, USDA announce competition to advance agriculture sustainability

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture say the Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges, which is a joint EPA-USDA partnership and competition to advance agricultural sustainability in the U.S. They said the competition includes two challenges seeking proposals or new and existing fertilizer technologies to maintain or improve crop yields while lessening the impacts of fertilizers on the environment.

“The shared goal here is to accelerate the development of next-generation fertilizers for corn production that can either maintain or increase crop yields while reducing environmental impacts to our air, land, and water,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

“USDA is committed to encouraging the development of new technologies and practices to ensure that U.S. agriculture is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable for years to come,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “This challenge will stimulate innovation and aligns with USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda announced earlier this year.”

“By evaluating the efficacy of existing technologies while sparking research and development of new technologies, these challenges explore the potential innovation that can result from academia, industry, government, and NGOs working together to address the complex issues related to excess nutrients in our environment,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science and EPA Science Advisor.

The USDA said the competition is coordinated with The Fertilizer Institute, the International Fertilizer Development Center, the National Corn Growers Association and the Nature Conservancy.

According to the USDA, the first challenge, the Environmental and Agronomic Challenge, aims to identify existing Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers that meet or exceed certain environmental and agro-economic regulations. It said EEF is a term for new formulations that control fertilizer release or alter reactions that reduce nutrient losses to the environment. It said this challenge will not have a monetary prize, but winners receive scientific evaluations of their product and recognition from it, the EPA and other collaborators and participants.

The USDA said the second challenge, the Next Gen Fertilizer Innovations Challenge, aims to generate new concepts for technologies that can help address environmental concerns surrounding agriculture practices while also maintaining or increasing crop yields. It said a panel of expert judges will review the submissions and each winner receives at least $10,000.

According to the USDA, the Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges are open and registrants must submit entries by Oct. 30, 2020, for the EEFs: Environmental and Agronomic Challenge and by Nov. 30, 2020, for the Next Gen Fertilizer Innovations Challenge. It said winners will be announced in the winter of 2021.

The USDA said an informational webinar will be held on Sept. 24, from 10-11 a.m. ET.

By Sarah Motter