Illinois Fertilizer
Conference Proceedings
January 28-30, 1991
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Gary Beaumont1
It seems appropriate to start off the Fertilizer Research and Education Program with introductory video programming that explores recent water quality concerns which have, in part, led up to the establishment of the program.
The Office of Agricultural Communications and Education (OACE) regularly produces television programming and widely distributes it to stations, so it also seems appropriate that this group was chosen to produce objective and balanced programming about how agriculture has affected water quality.
In the preliminary stages of the project, we have interviewed nearly 50 people with an interest in water quality issues. Included in this group are specialists from governmental agencies, universities, farmers, representatives of farm organizations, agrichemical dealers, environmentalists, and the general. public. We have also followed farmers through the growing season with television cameras to document the crop production cycle to visualize the programs we are producing.
To date we have produced 15 short news features which have been distributed to television outlets around the country, including:
| WTHI | WMBD | WOC | KLJB | WQAD |
| WPSD | KHQA | WEHT | WSAZ | WTVO |
| WFIE | WREX | WICD | ||
| WGN (3,000 cable outlets.) Ag Day (46 affiliates.) U.S.D.A. television services (National satellite feed.) |
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Also, 15 radio programs were produced and distributed to the .85 radio stations who regularly use the "Illini Farm Report", a radio service of the U of I College of Agriculture.
Currently, we are in the process of writing a script for a program aimed at farmers. The goal is to introduce the best management strategies for improved water quality. The program will be widely distributed to county Extension advisers and others interested in using the programming with farmers and the general public.
We are also negotiating with WILL-TV in Urbana to produce a documentary on the State of the State ... The Effect of Agriculture on Water Quality. At an appropriate time, other television stations will be offered the program in attempt to maximize ,the potential audience that sees it. The objective of the program is to stimulate inquiry and open debate about the issues and io outline 'the steps being taken to alleviate certain problems. This program will also be widely distributed to county Extension advisers and others interested in using the it with farmers and the general public.
All along, our goal has been to produce objective and balanced programming. The diversity of the people who we have interviewed is the basis for objective and balanced presentations. While the programs will outline some problems, they will also clearly illustrate the economic need for agriculture chemicals in crop production, the economic advantage to farmers of keeping crop nutrients on site, and the steps being taken by the farm community to protect natural resources from contamination.
