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Fertilizer Canada certifies two new Ontario agri-retail facilities

FS Partners Ayr and Sylvite Blenheim are the most recent sites to receive 4R certification from Fertilizer Canada. They join FS Partners Delhi and Drayton, AGRIS Co-operative Cottam and Stoney Point, Thompsons Kent Bridge and Setterington’s Cottam as Ontario agri-retail facilities that have completed the 4R certification audit since the program’s launch.

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 @ Right Rate, Right Time, 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.

“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,” says Garth Whyte, president and CEO of Fertilizer Canada.

Farmland managed by 4R Certified retailers counts 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. To this date, there are currently 30 Ontario agri- retail locations that have completed a pre-audit and eight that have successfully become 4R Certified. With these eight locations, we can say that the program is influencing approximately 264,206 acres and 1,283 growers in Southwestern Ontario. This accounts for approximately seven per cent of the targeted cropland acres in the Lake Erie watershed and eight per cent of the grower customers in the region. The pro-active efforts of the Ontario agriculture industry will continue to support the long-term improvement of the Great Lakes water quality.

The 4R Certification 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.

This program is administered by Fertilizer Canada. To learn more about 4R Certification or to schedule an audit, visit fertilizercanada.ca/nutrient-stewardship/4r-certification/ontario/.