
We have reached a tipping point.
Last week, at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s (CFA) Annual General Meeting held at the Ottawa Marriott from Feb. 21 to 23, Fertilizer Canada’s President and CEO Garth Whyte presented on the benefits 4R Nutrient Stewardship can bring to Canadian agriculture. Immediately following the presentation, CFA unanimously passed a spontaneous resolution in support of 4R Nutrient Stewardship, meaning that the agriculture association representing growers from every province now supports Fertilizer Canada’s goal to have 20 million acres designated under 4R Nutrient Stewardship by 2020.
This is a major step forward for the Canadian agriculture industry. When Canadian farmers and agri-retailers support 4R Nutrient Stewardship, they support economic growth, agricultural sustainability, climate-smart agriculture and the campaign to earn public trust. All of these concepts are synonymous with 4R Nutrient Stewardship.
As the presentation highlighted, 4R Nutrient Stewardship is the key to building Canada’s agriculture sector into a world leader. The program supports:
- Dominic Barton’s goal to grow Canada’s agriculture sector into a true economic powerhouse by increasing yields and profitability for growers
- Creating the agricultural sustainability needed to feed nine billion people by 2050 by increasing crop yields per acre
- Climate-smart agriculture by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching
- The campaign to earn public trust by educating our audiences on the 10 or more years of soil science we have backing the benefits of 4R Nutrient Stewardship.
We are pleased that CFA has formally recognized the merits of 4R Nutrient Stewardship and passed a resolution to support the program nationwide. Fertilizer Canada will continue to work with partners like CFA towards formalizing the 4R Nutrient Stewardship process for the betterment of agriculture across Canada.
Watch the full presentation and resolution below.