Ontario’s agriculture industry continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable food production through the 4R Certification program

Ottawa, ON – As spring seeding quickly approaches and we continue to tackle the challenges associated with COVID-19, Fertilizer Canada assures that agri retail businesses will continue to provide their grower customers with essential crop nutrients. We are pleased to share that throughout the winter months, the Ontario agricultural industry has demonstrated its continued commitment to sustainable food production by almost doubling the number of 4R Certified facilities in the province.

 

“With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting all aspects of daily life, we are confident that Canada’s fertilizer industry is demonstrating its adaptability to meet not only the needs of its customers, but any worker along the supply chain. Farmers and producers will undoubtedly play a leading role in Canada’s economic recovery in the coming months,” said Garth Whyte, President and CEO at Fertilizer Canada.

 

This time of year is critical for agri-retailers as they supply nutrient inputs and help grower customers implement nutrient management plans. Becoming a 4R Certified agri-retailer ensures that those recommendations and applications are not only following the most up-to-date guidelines, but that science-based best management practices (BMPs) for sustainable on-farm nutrient management are applied. These practices optimize nutrient uptake to maximize yields and financial prosperity, while reducing nutrient run-off to improve the long-term quality of water bodies associated with agricultural production areas.

 

There are currently 16 Southwestern Ontario agri-retail facilities that have completed and passed the 4R Certification audit to become 4R Certified.

 

The argri-retail facilities are:

The 4R Certification program continues to gain steam with a total of 1,711 growers in South western Ontario who are positively impacted by 4R Certified agri- retailer. This translates to 429,566 acres, accounting to approximately 10% of Southwestern Ontario’s total crop land. With 31 full-service agri-retail locations that have completed a pre-audit in Western Ontario, 26 of those locations are located within Lake Erie watershed.

 

The program is funded and guided by a 4R Ontario Steering Committee comprised of a diverse set of stakeholders from industry, government, conservation authorities and grower organizations including Fertilizer Canada, the Ontario Agri Business Association (OABA), Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) and Conservation Ontario.

 

“The Ontario Agri Business Association (OABA) sincerely congratulates the 16 agri-retail facilities that have achieved their 4R Certification,” said Dave Buttenham, CEO of OABA. “Their commitment of time, resources and expertise to achieve 4R Certification is a very clear indication that Ontario’s agri-retailers are willing and able to provide leadership in the adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles that will broadly benefit both Ontario’s agri-food production sector and the environment.

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.