FS PARTNERS joins the growing list of agri-retailers to achieve 4R Certified status in Ontario

Ottawa, ON – Fertilizer Canada is pleased to announce that FS PARTNERS (Drayton, ON) has passed the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification audit and now joins Thompsons Kent Bridge, AGRIS Cottam and Setteringtons in achieving 4R Certified status in Ontario.

 

The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program is a voluntary program that certifies nutrient service providers across Ontario that apply or make recommendations on fertilizers in accordance with 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles, using the Right Source of nutrients at the Right Rate, at the Right Time and in the Right Place. Program participants must go through an independent, third-party audit of 37 standards to demonstrate they not only understand 4R principles, but also follow them.

 

“Fertilizer Canada congratulates FS PARTNERS’ commitment to the growing number of service providers in Ontario becoming 4R Certified, providing the highest standard of nutrient management advice to their grower customers,” said Garth Whyte, President & CEO of Fertilizer Canada. “The Certification process offers us the opportunity to capture acres managed under 4R Nutrient Stewardship, thus quantifying the industry’s commitment to sustainable agriculture solutions.”

 

FS PARTNERS Drayton is prepared to provide their grower customers with proven 4R best management practice (BMP) advice to both maximize their customers financial resources and create long-term positive impacts on water bodies associated with agricultural production areas.

 

“FS PARTNERS recognizes that 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices not only increase yields and economic returns for our grower-customers, but also reduces environmental impact. This is important as an Agri-retailer, and I am proud of the team at our Drayton branch for their continued leadership in achieving 4R certification,” comments FS PARTNERS Division Manager Frank Barron.

 

4R Certified retailers are equipped to provide a value-added service to growers, as 4R Nutrient Stewardship is scientifically proven to improve yields and economic return while minimizing environmental impacts such as greenhouse gases and losses to water. For example, research funded by the North American 4R Research Fund has shown that growers in Ontario can reduce phosphorus run off by 60 per cent by applying 4R BMPs.

 

Farmland managed by 4R Certified retailers is counted towards Fertilizer Canada’s goal of verifying acres under 4R Nutrient Stewardship, which quantifies the advancement of sustainable agriculture in Ontario and Canada as a whole. There are currently 29 retail sites in Ontario that have completed a 4R Certification pre-audit and are on track to become fully 4R Certified in the next year.

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.