December 11, 2015 - 8:59am -- smith.263@osu.edu

As you know by now, a Fertilizer Certification must be attained by September of 2017 by those who apply fertilizer (other than manure) to more than a total of 50 acres used for agricultural production grown primarily for sale. Much like with a Private Pesticide Applicator’s Certification, records of those fertilizer applications are also required.

Now, a free app for your smartphone or tablet has been developed with input from OSU Extension Knox County, Ohio Farm Bureau and Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District. This easy to use program meets the new state recordkeeping requirements for both Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) and Senate Bill 150 (SB 150).

The Ohio Nutrient Management Record Keeper (OnMRK) is a computerized recordkeeping system that sync’s with your smartphone or tablet to create a simple, easy and quick way to record all of your fertilizer and manure applications while you're still in the field. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play store for Android devices and iTunes for the Apple products.

To get started, simply go to the app’s website https://onmrk.com/. After setting up your account, enter your farm and field information. Download and open the app on you smartphone or tablet and enter the applicator 'key' that you will receive while setting up your account. All of the data that has been entered on your computer will now synchronize with your smartphone or tablet.

The app features drop‐down menus and quick entry fields which make it fast and easy to enter the required information. The application information you enter from the field is combined with the GPS Location data from your smartphone or tablet. Both the current weather data and the weather forecast for this location is recorded. Once the application is saved the data is synced with the website. From the website you can print your application records or export them to a spreadsheet.

A detailed set of instructions in PDF format can be downloaded from the OSU Extension - Knox County website by following this link.

In addition, the use of OnMRK will be covered during each of the Fairfield County Fertilizer Certification classes being held this winter. Find more details and also make your on-line reservations for one of those classes linked here.