Eric Welsh, Program Manager for the American Society of Agronomy, spoke with us at Trade Talk about the new specialty certifications offered by the ASA; these certifications will be offered in addition to the CCA designation.
“The 4R Nutrient Management Specialist Certification, 4RNMS, was created in direct response to water quality issues, related to more intensive fertility management, and run-off issues. This isn’t something that CCAs haven’t been doing, this certification puts more focus on it as a specialty and ensures training is current.” Eric Welsh, ASA.
These certifications were put in place for CCAs who have already proven their base knowledge and taken the exams. 4RNMS, or any of the new specialty certifications, will be an add-on to their CCA designation proving that they go the extra mile for their growers and for their land. The 4RNMS certification was launched in August and ASA launched the specialty Sustainability (SSP) Certification this week during their annual meeting in Minneapolis.
Eric also highlighted that process of earning continuing education credits for CCAs continues to become easier as ASA works to expand their webinar offerings. Webinars for CCA credits are available through free online webinars; ASA goes to great lengths to ensure the quality of these webinars for their CCA attendees. The integrity of the information presented remains the same as in-person lectures or seminars, but offers the ease of access from a home office or pick-up.
Listen to my interview with Eric here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/nafb-15-asa-welsh.mp3″ text=”Interview with Eric Welsh, American Society of Agronomy”]
