The North American fertilizer industry is pledging an additional $6 million to fund research on ways that farmers can strengthen fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) to reduce nutrient loss to the environment. Donors intend that this funding be leveraged with public sector dollars to maximize the reach of limited resources. To that end, Fertilizer Canada is urging the Canada’s provincial and federal governments to make funding for 4R Nutrient Stewardship research and conservation incentives a high priority through the Growing Forward 3 framework.
Since 2013, the industry has contributed $5.8 million toward 4R nutrient stewardship
research that currently supports 25 projects in the United States and Canada. The fund
has generated an additional $7 million in research funds by leveraging public and
private dollars. The 4R Research Fund was established by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI),
Fertilizer Canada, and the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI). The 4R Nutrient
Stewardship concept promotes using the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, at the
right time, and in the right place (4R). For fertilizer use to be sustainable, it must support cropping systems that provide economic, social, and environmental benefits.
“There is a delicate balance between reducing nutrient losses through nutrient
management while maintaining or improving soil carbon and thus soil health,” explained
IPNI President Terry Roberts. “Across the U.S. and Canada, the fertilizer industry is
partnering with universities, watershed stakeholders, and government agencies to
expand the data linking agronomic and environmental performance of 4R practices."
While the 4R principles are the same globally, how they are put into practice locally
varies depending on each farm. Therefore, 4R Research Fund projects are reviewed
and selected by a technical advisory group consisting of industry, academic, and
government agency experts in agronomy, environmental sciences, sustainability,
government relations, and communications. Successful efforts qualify and quantify the
impact of using the 4Rs to give certainty to farmers and sound guidance to
environmental programs and policy decision makers.
“The driving force for the 4R Research Fund has always been to measure and monitor
on-farm stewardship practices,” said Fertilizer Canada President Garth Whyte. “Our
industry has an opportunity and we are investing to advance our knowledge of sciencebased solutions that meet both crop production and environmental quality challenges.”
Priorities of the newly committed 4R Research Fund resources include: 1) assessment
of source, rate, time, and placement effects of enhanced efficiency and advancing
technologies for nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on water and air quality, crop yield,
crop nutrient content, and soil health from the same site during the same project, and 2) evaluation of 4R practices in more geographic locations, over longer time periods, and
more cropping systems relative to their effect on productivity and the environment using
coordinated controls across multiple site years.
“While the industry is heavily invested in research through the 4R Research Fund, we
need to leverage these dollars with additional funding from the public sector to make the most efficient use of these limited resources,” explained Chris Jahn, President of The Fertilizer Institute. “TFI supports public funding and incentives that encourage farmers to adopt 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices on their land.”
Source : Fertilizer Canada