Fertilizer Canada Encourages All Political Parties to Incorporate 4R Nutrient Stewardship into Climate Change Strategies

OTTAWA, ON – Fertilizer Canada is calling on all political parties in Canada to incorporate 4R Nutrient Stewardship (Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place®) in their environmental action plans as a solution to climate change.

 

By utilizing the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework on-farm, farmers are able to reduce nutrient losses that result in environmental impacts to air, water and soil resources – including reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

“4Rs is the most important crop environmental innovation since zero till in the mid-1980s,” said Garth Whyte, President & CEO of Fertilizer Canada. “Implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship not only increases economic performance for growers but reduces on-farm greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35 per cent. Farmers and farm groups have increased adoption and now is the time for all political parties to recognize these actions.”

 

4R Nutrient Stewardship is gaining momentum. The Canadian Canola Growers Association has included adoption of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship in their sustainability targets with a goal to have 50 per cent of canola production acres under 4Rs by 2025. A recent fertilizer use survey concluded that 61 per cent of farmers have reported awareness of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program, representing 45 million acres of cropland.

 

The Federal Conservative’s A Real Plan to Protect the Environment, recognizes the work farmers are doing to fight climate change through the use of 4R Nutrient Stewardship. In addition, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario governments have included 4R Nutrient Stewardship in their respective climate change strategies. Highlighting the good work industry and farmers are doing in response to climate change in Canada.

 

This past May the Federal Environment Committee report Clean Growth and Climate Change in Canada: Forestry, Agriculture and Waste, outlined testimony from several stakeholders which encouraged agricultural producers to implement the 4R principles on their land and work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to develop nitrous oxide reduction protocols across Canada.

 

“Fertilizer Canada is pleased to see the inclusion of 4R Nutrient Stewardship as a solution to climate change in these strategies.” said Whyte. “Fertilizer Canada stands ready to continue to work with the agriculture industry, as well as Federal and Provincial political parties on implementing this Canadian-made solution – positioning Canada as a world leader in on-farm environmental stewardship.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.