April 10, 2023 at 6:00 am
Three farmers in the Lambton-Kent region have received Environmental Innovation Grants for an alternative homegrown fertilizer project.
The Ontario government has previously announced fertilizer challenge To reduce dependence on foreign sourced products and related supply chain issues.
Three regional organizations recently received $200,000 in grant funding each.
BioLine Corporation of Alvinston is focused on reducing conventional fertilizer use through fulvic acid-based nutrient efficiency enhancement.
CanGrow Crop Solutions in Alvinston is considering the use of microbes to reduce fertilizer use.
Haggerty AgRobotics in Bothwell is working on real-time automated soil fertilizer indexing.
“Our government will always do everything in its power to support Ontario’s farmers, which is why we’re laying the groundwork for Ontario-made fertilizer manufacturing,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Projects are underway to provide our farmers with a resource of fertilizers developed and produced in Ontario.”
As the provincial government previously said, 10 new projects will be funded through the $2 million Fertilizer Challenge.
The challenge is sponsored by BioEnterprise Canada, a national not-for-profit business accelerator that supports food supply chains and farming practices in Ontario.
“Ontario farmers are heroes in helping our families keep food on the table,” said Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton. “Our government will continue to support Ontario-made agricultural solutions that build stronger, more sustainable communities for all of us.”
Ontario farmers will spend more than $1.2 billion on commercial fertilizers and lime in 2021.