4R Certification Program Continues to Expand in Ontario

Ontario has expanded its 4R Certification program to allow independents to audit their business and nutrient recommendations to become 4R Certified.

The 4R Certification program encourages agricultural retailers, service providers and other certified professionals to adopt proven best management practices through the 4Rs, which refers to using the Right Source of nutrients at the Right Rate and Right Time in the Right Place.

“Ontario has been a leader in adopting 4R Nutrient Stewardship in Canada,” said Karen Proud, President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada. “By now including independent agronomists in the certification process, more farmers can demonstrate their commitment to sustainable farming practices.”

The 4R Certification program was first brought to Ontario in close collaboration with the Nutrient Stewardship Council, the Ohio Agri-Business Association and The Fertilizer Institute in the U.S. to ensure alignment between cross-border efforts. It works to audit Nutrient Service Providers ability to utilize 4R Standards within the following;

• Training of staff and grower customers
• Recommendations for Nutrient Management (when applicable)
• Applications of Nutrients on to soil (when applicable)
• Documentation of their training, application, and recommendations.

“Over the past three years, we have worked with Fertilizer Canada to deliver full audits to 24 agri-retailer sites and pre-audits to an additional 40 sites,” said Dr. Justine Taylor, Executive Director of the Agrichemical Warehousing Standards Association. “We look forward to delivering this exciting new phase of the program which will enable the certification of independent consultants, who do not sell or apply nutrients but work in parallel with agri-retailers, to provide nutrient recommendations under the 4R program.”

“To date, there are over 591,000 acres of farmland certified under the 4Rs,” Said Proud. “By continuing to expand the program, we provide the opportunity for more nutrient service providers, such as Warriner AG, to become 4R Certified, fostering continued leadership throughout 4R Nutrient Stewardship.”

The program is funded and guided by a 4R Ontario Steering Committee comprised of a diverse set of stakeholders from industry, government, conservation authorities and grower organizations, including Fertilizer Canada, the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA), Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (OMECP), the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO), The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation Ontario.