The LSU AgCenter this week kicked off a program designed to help Louisiana farmers learn how to keep the state’s waterways as clean as possible.

Known as the Louisiana Master Farmer Program, the effort is designed to help farmers to be proactive in their efforts to keep Louisiana waters clean.

"We are going to implement the Master Farmer Program in all the watersheds in Louisiana," says LSU AgCenter specialist Dr. Fred Sanders, who is chairman of the program for the AgCenter.

The initial meeting Thursday (Nov. 1) in Crowley – aimed at agricultural producers in the Mermentau Basin – drew farmers, agricultural leaders and other government agency representatives who will cooperate in the program.

Sanders says once the Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality develop the standards for the watersheds, which are called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), the Master Farmer Program will be implemented first in the Mermentau and Vermilion-Teche watersheds. Then it will spread to other areas of the state.

Under the new rules being developed, TMDLs are the total amount of pollutants that a water body can take in a day’s time and still meet water quality standards.

The Clean Water Act of 1972 required states to set water quality standards to protect and improve the condition of the nations water bodies.

The Master Farmer effort will focus on implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) to help farmers and others in the state reduce pollution on a voluntary basis rather than through government regulation.

BMPs come as a result of years of research and demonstrations by agricultural researchers and cover five main areas – nutrient management, pesticide management, soil and water management, pasture management and general farm BMPs.

Of course, one question many farmers are asking concerns what implementing such voluntary management measures will cost.

But Dr. Paul Coreil, LSU AgCenter vice chancellor and Extension director and former environmental specialist, says some of the cost could be absorbed by the government.

"We are helping the farmers through the program to evaluate the Best Management Practices for their farm and to identify funds that are available from USDA on a cost-share basis," Coreil says.

The LSU AgCenter administrator says the program is a way farmers can learn to correct problems on their own – rather than through government intervention.

"We are starting the Master Farmer Program to help farmers implement measures that will keep streams and other waterways clean," Coreil says, adding, "If farmers do it on their own, they can avoid federal regulators stepping in and forcing them to implement measures that could be more costly and more difficult to put into practice."

The Master Farmer Program is a voluntary effort by agricultural producers to reduce the impact agricultural production has on the environment. It will be conducted through a partnership involving the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

A Master Farmer Program Web site has been developed to provide information about the program, its curriculum, meetings that are scheduled and other related topics. The site can be found at www.lsuagcenter.com/masterfarmer.

Applications to participate in the educational program will be available online or at Natural Resource Conservation Service offices and parish LSU AgCenter Extension office across the state. For additional information about the Master Farmer Program, contact Dr. Fred Sanders at (225) 578-6998.