The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has launched a new, collaborative initiative to eliminate fertilizer pollution as a major environmental concern in the U.S. EDF says the effort will engage farmers and businesses throughout the supply chain to transform the way fertilizer-dependent grain crops are grown and sourced.
While recognizing that fertilizer is the engine for agriculture, EDF says its inefficient use is one of the biggest threats to a stable climate and clean water.
“Our long-term goal is to make the entire U.S. grain supply sustainable – good for farmers, good for the climate, and good for our waterways,” said Suzy Friedman, director of EDF’s Sustainable Sourcing Initiative.
EDF noted that Walmart has asked its top suppliers to submit fertilizer optimization plans. EDF said it is working with several Walmart suppliers – including General Mills, Smithfield and The Coca-Cola Company (in partnership with World Wildlife Fund) – to develop and implement these programs.
EDF said it is collaborating with Iowa-based United Suppliers to develop and implement a fertilizer efficiency program to meet the supply chain demand. United Suppliers is a member-owned wholesaler that provides agricultural products and services to about 700 grower cooperatives and retailers covering 45 million acres of farmland in the U.S. The company has committed to optimizing fertilizer use on 10 million acres.
“We believe we’ve got to be on the forefront of this sustainability issue and keep crop nutrients in the fields where they’re applied,’’ said United Suppliers Vice President Matt Carstens. “With EDF’s help, we’ve put together a program that can help growers sort through practices that improve fertilizer efficiency so they can meet food companies’ new standards.”
EDF is also working with farmer networks that have helped to reduce fertilizer loss by an average of 25 percent on half a million acres while maintaining or increasing crop yields.
The near-term goal of EDF’s initiative is to maximize fertilizer efficiency on half of U.S. corn crops by 2020 (approximately 45 million acres), which it says will cut 25 million mt of greenhouse gas emissions and improve water quality.