Agrium Advanced Technologies (AAT), Loveland, Colo., said March 6 that it is partnering with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) on Nitrace, an innovative demonstration project to establish fertilizer application practices designed to reduce greenhouse gases and generate carbon offset credits for agricultural producers. The three-year, $2.86-million project seeks to develop a program that affords participating producers with advice to implement, monitor, and track fertilizer best management practices for nitrous oxide (N2O) emission reductions. The results of the demonstration project eventually may lead to a system that enables agricultural producers to create and sell carbon offset credits into both voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
Nitrace is jointly funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Innovation Grant and matching resources from the project’s participants. Through the partnership, AAT’s ESN controlled-release fertilizer will be available to participant growers during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons.
“Agrium Advanced Technologies is committed to providing high quality slow- and controlled-release fertilizers,” said Andrew Mittag, President, Agrium Advanced Technologies. “Our commitment extends to real-world product efficiency, which is why we’re pleased to partner with The Fertilizer Institute on the Nitrace demonstration project.”
During the next two growing seasons, AAT will contribute more than $30,000 in donated ESN product to the project. ESN employs a unique polymer coating to help prevent against all forms of nitrogen loss, including volatilization, denitrification, and leaching. ESN is also designed to deliver nitrogen to a growing crop all season long, allowing the crop to effectively reach its full genetic potential.
Corn and soybean producers in Illinois and Iowa will be key participants in the program, tracking the application of ESN and other fertilizers using “4R” best management practices. The 4R system, promoted by TFI and supported by Agrium, encourages responsible fertilizer use – the right source, right rate, right time, and right place. The goal is to assist farmers in adopting practices that minimize nutrient loss from fields.
The Nitrace results are expected to pave the way for agricultural producers to capitalize on their carbon savings, providing a potential new revenue stream by offering crops – and their carbon capture properties – as a commodity to the carbon cap and trading marketplace.
“We are very pleased to partner with Agrium’s Advanced Technologies group, one of our industry’s leaders, through the Nitrace demonstration project,” said Ford West, TFI president. “We both share a commitment to responsible nutrient stewardship and environmental sustainability, and I look forward to the results of this and other projects we are collaborating on.”
In addition to TFI, project partners include Camco, ClimateCHECK, The Climate Trust, International Plant Nutrition Institute, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s National Laboratory on Agriculture and the Environment, Michigan State University, and Colorado State University.
“Collaborative initiatives like this demonstration project are a top priority of Agrium Advanced Technologies’ sustainability initiatives,” said Mittag. “It complements our ongoing sustainability efforts, and our team is eager to see it lead to positive, long-term impacts for agriculture and the environment.”