Sacramento-California’s fertilizer industry has pledged $150,000 for research into how much nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer applications contribute to global warming. The outlay was approved Sept. 18 by the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board, which also recommended $150,000 to fund extra staff within the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to proactively address the issue of global warming. Both items will be solely funded by contributions from the fertilizer industry. Renee Pinel, CEO and president of the Western Plant Health Assn., explained that the non-profit trade group representing the fertilizer industry has been working with CDFA and the California Air Resources Board to help answer questions about whether fertilizers are significant contributors to global warming. CARB, which is currently under mandate from the state legislature to develop regulations to reduce greenhouse gases resulting from human activity, is reviewing the effect agriculture may have on greenhouse gas emissions and whether regulations would be appropriate to reduce any impacts. “This funding is a great example of the fertilizer industry’s ongoing commitment to proactive environmental stewardship and represents an important step in agriculture’s ability to accurately determine if any steps need to be taken to mitigate greenhouse gases from fertilizers,” Pinel added. The advisory board, which advises the secretary of agriculture on matters relating to inspection and enforcement, research and education, annual budget, fees, and regulations required to accomplish the purposes of the law. It is comprised of eight members who possess commercial feed licenses and one public member appointed by the secretary for three-year terms.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain