As part of its Crop Nutrient Minute video series, the Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) has recently released videos in English and Spanish for pistachio, processing tomato, and almond production that provide the latest crop-specific information on efficient nitrogen fertilizer applications and irrigation practices that minimize movement of nitrate to groundwater. This video series was funded by a California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) outreach grant to address the lack of online resources for growers who self-certify their Irrigation and Nitrogen Management Plans (INMPs),
Each video contains essential information for growers and consultants on the 4Rs of nitrogen management: Right Rate, Right Time, Right Source, and Right Place. The videos also provide continuing education units (CEUs) for growers who have passed the self-certification exam to certify their INMP Worksheets.
The Crop Nutrient Minute is a seven-part video series designed to provide growers and crop advisors with easy-to-digest, online how-to guidelines for crops grown in California conditions. When finished, the series will consist of 30-minute and 5-minute videos in English and Spanish for each crop. Future videos will cover strawberries, citrus, high tonnage wine grapes, and romaine lettuce. Videos in English covering the 4Rs of walnut production, which were produced through an earlier FREP grant, are also available.
The content of the series was created by farm advisors, extension specialists, and CURES staff. Each 30-minute video covers information on soil health, nitrogen processes in soil, crop nutrient tracking, efficient irrigation practices, practical techniques to assess crop nitrogen demand, and field-based tips from farm advisors working with each crop. The 5-minute videos provide a condensed summary of the most important crop-specific practices to implement the 4Rs.
Visit the CURES Nitrogen Management website to view the Crop Nutrient Minute videos.
How to Use Crop Nutrient Minute Videos to Obtain CEUs
The State Water Board requires growers to account for the nitrogen inputs and outputs on their fields by completing INMP Worksheets and submitting summary report data. For irrigated parcels within a High Vulnerability Area, INMP Worksheets must be certified by a qualified individual. INMP Worksheets can either be certified by a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) with the California Nitrogen Specialty (CA-NSp) or by a grower who has completed FREP’s Irrigation and Nitrogen Management Training for Grower Self-Certification.
Growers interested in renewing their eligibility to self-certify must complete a minimum of three hours of CDFA-approved continuing education every three years. You can find the Crop Nutrient Minute videos, as well as other videos and podcasts that meet CEU requirements, on FREP’s Self-Study Course List. Simply watch the video and pass the short post-video quiz to obtain 0.5 CEU for each video.