ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER SUSTAINABILITY 9 - Quicker germination - Enhanced root development - Increased abiotic stress tolerance visit us online: alpinepfl.com or call: 1-844.655.BIOK (2465) ALPINE G421-S 7-24-4 1S Powered by: ADDRESSING PUBLIC CONCERNS The 4R Nutrient Stewardship program was launched in 2008, in response to some troubling circumstances. Lake Erie’s western basin was experiencing nutrient-fed algae blooms, giving agriculture a black eye. Phosphorus- and nitrogen-laden farmland runoff from both sides of the border was not the only culprit. But generally, the public was angry at agriculture, fueled by the neonicotinoid insecticide controversy. Rumblings were surfacing about legislation to limit input use. Public outcries to keep the Great Lakes “drinkable, swimmable and fishable” echoed everywhere, bringing Canadian and U.S. agricultural interests together on an action plan. After a test run in Ohio, the program expanded to Ontario and the 4R certification program was born. And now, changing weather patterns are causing problems. A 2024 study by University of Waterloo researchers Nandita Basu and Nancy Goucher of 300 streams in the Great Lakes basin showed an increase in dissolved phosphorus concentrations. which they attribute to warmer winters. “When climate change results in warmer winters, the soil thaws earlier, releasing phosphorus or nitrogen that would otherwise remain bound until spring and summer,” they wrote in The Conversation. “But the plants are dormant during the winter, so the phosphorus released runs off into streams and lakes, where it sits until temperatures rise, providing ready fuel for the algal blooms. This differs from the past when phosphorus wasn’t released until spring and summer, allowing plants to absorb it for growth and preventing it from running off into rivers.” They say this means we will see algal blooms occur earlier in the season and more frequently. Plus, they say blooms will more widely appear in lakes across the Great Lakes basin, including previously unaffected water bodies such as reservoirs and small pristine lakes. Off-farm concerns about sustainability and good production continue to grow. In February, members of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity appeared before the federal Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, as part of its of food security study, and underlined the need for public trust in the food system. “Strong public trust in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food system is essential for innovation , economic growth and national resilience,” said Centre representatives Ashley Bruner and Lisa Bishop-Spencer. “Public trust is not just communication, it is our social license to function as a society. When Canadians trust their food system, they are more willing to support the innovation that allows Canada to feed the world.”•
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4