Every pursuit or line of work has its rock star, or its greatest of all time (GOAT). Golf has Tiger Woods, basketball has Michael Jordan, and football has Tom Brady. Of course not every profession’s rock stars achieve international fame, but in the world of nutrient management and planning, there is a new GOAT in town. You may not know him by name, but Craig Yohn pursues a noble and critical profession that helps regulate the amount of nutrients that farmers apply to their fields. A nutrient management advisor with AGNR, Yohn planned a staggering 62,238 acres across Talbot and Caroline counties working with 222 clients in 2021. To put that into perspective, the total acreage planned across the state was 305,873, giving Yohn an individual contribution of more than 20%.
Planners like Yohn work directly with farmers to establish a yearly roadmap for nutrient input (e.g. manure), essentially helping them to find a proper balance, which helps regulate soil and water health. Too many nutrients and the surrounding environment may suffer; too few and crops will not achieve their expected yield.
Yohn, a former Extension agent in Jefferson County, West Virginia, knows the Mid-Atlantic region and intimately understands Maryland’s landscape. He was born in Baltimore County and fell under the tutelage of revered agriculture agent Max Buckle.“After spending just one day with Max, I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life,” recounted Yohn. He has since retired from full-time Extension work, and now in his “retirement” during the busy season from November through April each year he works 10 hours a day, 5 days a week as an advisor for AGNR. We asked him, what does it mean to be a nutrient management advisor for an industry focused on cost efficiency, and increasingly so, on environmental sustainability?
“I look at it as an unbiased recommendation of how to use nutrients efficiently and affordably for the crops that Maryland producers are growing,” said Yohn. “In many cases those nutrients are given maximum credit because of today’s soaring fertilizer prices. This is a way of working with farmers from both an economic and environmental standpoint."
Yohn’s success as a planner is built on innovation, efficiency, and preparation. He researched and introduced a new geospatial analysis tool to expedite the process of examining the soils and contours of his client’s fields. This allows his fellow advisors to look from the highest to lowest point of a field to get an average slope, as well as more accurately measure the land’s distance to the water.
“I stumbled upon the geographic information system (GIS) technology by chatting with a server at my local brewery, explained Yohn. “I sold the idea to my program leader and began building lessons on how to use the software. Planners are now strongly encouraged to use GIS. In combination with the MDA’s phosphorus management tool, it is very powerful in terms of evaluating where and how much manure can be applied.
Preparation-wise, he is exceedingly buttoned-up. He works well in advance of the next year’s planning season with preset forms, organized binders, and communication to his farmers so he can capture data early and often. His goal is to deliver plans to his farmers within two weeks after receiving his final piece of information. But more than anything else, his success seems to be driven by his passion and deep respect for the nutrient management program itself.
“Environmentally and economically, Maryland/ AGNR’s nutrient management program is a shining star across the country. It’s the best example of the balance between regulator, advisor, and educator,” said Yohn. “And advisors/planners need to have that balanced approach. There is great science attached to this process. That’s why we’re a productive country, because of the community-focused work that comes out of land-grant universities like the University of Maryland.”
by Graham Binder : Momentum Winter 2022