FINE TUNING Choosing the right fertilizer product and applying the right rate at the right time in the right place can reduce costs and help the environment
Anew program aims to help Alberta producers get more bang for their fertilizer buck while reducing greenhouse gases.
“Our aim is to work with farmers and other stakeholders in Alberta to encourage the use of 4R nutrient stewardship,” said Clyde Graham, vice-president of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute, which received a $200,000 grant to develop the Farming 4R Land project in Alberta.
The four ‘Rs’ refer to using the right rate of the right product at the right time in the right place.
The program was recently debuted at FarmTech 2013, and sessions are upcoming in Lethbridge, High River, Airdrie and Leduc.
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“It’s information but also there is training that is online, and part of our meetings will also be about providing training for growers,” said Graham.
There are several online courses and the program may be adjusted depending on the feedback from FarmTech and the four meetings.
“It’s meant to be interactive and a dialogue between growers and the fertilizer industry, government and the science community,” said Graham.
One of the goals is to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer use as “it has much greater impact on the greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide,” he said.
The project is being funded by the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation, which gets its money from a levy charged to large emitters of carbon dioxide in Alberta.
The Farming 4R Land project was chosen because it has clear targets about greenhouse gas reduction, said Stan Blade, CEO of Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, which administers the funding.
“Really we continue to hear this from our farm community, as well,” Blade said. “They want to know how it is they can influence greenhouse gas.”
It makes good sense to couple greenhouse gas reduction with more efficient use of fertilizer, he said.
“The Farming 4 us approach is a very pragmatic one,” he said.
Graham said the current phase of the project for 2013 is to build awareness with training and online tools.
“I think we’re hopeful we’ll be able to do more work on this in the future,” he said.
The website for the Farming 4R Land project is collaborase.com/farming4rland.
