On Wednesday, August 9, EMILI welcomed over 130 attendees to Innovation Farms to learn how sustainable 4R practices can be applied across the prairies.
The event was co-hosted by Manitoba Agriculture, the University of Manitoba, the Canola Council of Canada, Fertilizer Canada, Enns Brothers, and 4R Nutrient Stewardship. Throughout the day, participants attended various live field demonstrations to learn how these principles can be incorporated on-farm.
Field demonstrations showcase sustainable solutions
Innovation Farms Manager Danielle Berard and Laurier Poirier from FCC AgExpert presented on digital tools and platforms to guide 4R management decisions. They emphasized the the importance of the 4R principles: Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place.
Chris Manchur from the Canola Council of Canada discussed the advantages of using 4R nutrient management in canola production, highlighting the importance of utilizing enhanced efficiency fertilizers, as well as proper fertilizer placement and rate trials.
David Ives from Enns Brothers presented how to find the perfect nitrogen blend using ESN (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen) and explained how this urea fertilizer uses controlled nitrogen release by responding to soil temperature and moisture.
In a combined presentation, Dr. John Heard and Steve Barron used a functional pipe model to illustrate the leaky nitrogen cycle, highlighting the pathways of applied nitrogen fertilizer and ways to minimize nitrogen loss. Mitchell Timmerman from Manitoba Agriculture discussed the soil profile and origins of the soil on Innovation Farms.
Attendees learned from Dr. Mario Tenuta from the University of Manitoba and Fertilizer Canada on how to utilize the 4Rs to reduce on-farm nitrous oxide emissions in canola-based rotations.
Digital agriculture showcased at Innovation Farmers Market demonstration
As the morning events wrapped up, attendees gathered for lunch sponsored by FCC AgExpert. Afterwards, they participated in an Innovation Farmers Market highlighting how 4R practices and digital agriculture enhance on-farm productivity across the prairies.
4R Principles guide EMILI’s Innovation Farms team throughout the season as we demonstrate the productivity and sustainability of commercialized technologies to empower farmers and others along the value chain to adopt and fully deploy digital tools. We are grateful to Manitoba Agriculture, the University of Manitoba, the Canola Council of Canada, Fertilizer Canada, and Enns Brothers for collaborating with us to co-host a successful day of tours to showcase 4R practices.