Reduction in Fertilizer Use would Cut Farm Production, Profitability: Survey

Aug 09, 2022

A forced reduction in fertilizer use would cut food production and decrease profitability, a survey of Canadian farmers has revealed.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of farmers said crop yields and overall food production will be reduced if the federal government forges ahead with a plan to reduce their use of nitrogen fertilizer, according to a recent Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey (CFIB). Further, almost two-thirds (60%) said a mandatory reduction would decrease the profitability of their agri-business, and 42% said it would be challenging as they have already reduced their nitrogen fertilizer use.

The federal government is currently conducting consultations on its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen fertilizer by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. Many farm organizations and the fertilizer industry have been critical of the proposal, contending producers are already doing enough on their own to cut fertilizer emissions.

“Nitrogen fertilizer is an essential crop nutrient and an important input for Canadian farmers. Forcing them to reduce their use of fertilizer would result in decreased yield of their crop, less profitability and competitiveness,” said Taylor Brown, a policy analyst at CFIB. “Given the current global challenges to food supply, now is not the time to add policies that threaten to reduce yields even further.”

CFIB’s recent research also shows Canadian farmers have already adopted or plan to adopt best practices to manage or reduce nitrogen emissions. Some of these practices include conservation tillage (53%), annual soil testing for nitrogen (50%), and rotating in nitrogen-fixing crops (50%).

CFIB has sent a submission letter on the fertilizer emissions reduction target to the federal government urging it to keep its target voluntary, as it is now.

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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.