Ten companies with made-in-Ontario solutions to help farmers address fertilizer shortages and high input costs will each receive a share of $2 million in funding over the next two years.
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The winners of the province’s Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge have been chosen. The announcement was made March 10 at the London Farm Show.
Why it matters: Ontario farmers are dependent on almost all of their fertilizer coming from outside of the province, especially nitrogen.
The details of the projects will be announced over the next month. Companies that will receive funds from the program include:
- ALPINE
- BioLiNE Corp.
- CanGrow Crop Solutions
- CRF AgriTech LP
- Escarpment Renewables
- Haggerty AgRobotics
- International Zeolite Corp.
- ReGenerate Biogas
- SureSource Commodities
- Woodrill Farms
The Challenge, first announced by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Minister Lisa Thompson last September, was pitched as a competitive opportunity for agri-businesses and organizations that are developing new solutions, technology and tools that can help reduce dependency on imported products.
Thompson said the aim of the funding is to “increase the availability of fertilizer options, alternatives, and technology, ensuring that farmers have the tools they need.”
The idea of funding a challenge, she said, was a result of consultations with farmers and the agri-food sector on how to address the ongoing supply chain challenges for fertilizer, while promoting innovation in the province’s agri-food sector.
Applications closed last November and winning entries were chosen by Bioenterprise Canada, a national non-profit business accelerator with experience in bringing products from concept to market in the agri-food space.
Benefits to the farmer were also a key driver, said Bioenterprise Canada CEO Dave Smardon.
“We try to find the most impactful innovations that we can and then put the resources behind those innovations to move them into the marketplace as quickly as possible,” he said.
One of the 10 projects currently underway through the Fertilizer Challenge is the CRF AgriTech LP fertilizer plant, based in St. Thomas.
In 2021, Sollio Agriculture partnered with Pursell, an Alabama-based fertilizer-coating technology company in $20 million joint venture to build and operate a dedicated fertilizer-coating plant in southwestern Ontario.
“(Required)” indicates required fields
When it begins operation, the company said in a release the plant’s patented technology will enable the addition of micronutrients and temperature-sensitive additives to fertilizers, such as biologicals, growth enhancers and soil health promoters.
“These controlled-release coatings improve the uptake of nutrients by plants, with the potential to significantly improve yield and quality while lowering greenhouse gas emissions from volatilization and reducing the risk of nutrient leaching and runoff,” the company said.
