Page 46 - RealDirtENG2020

Manure, fertilizers, phosphorus and water
Manure is an excellent source of fertilizer for the soil, but nutrients like phosphorus can contaminate water if they’re not applied and managed properly. Farmers have to follow a lot of rules when it comes to managing nutrients—from manure or fertilizers—on their farms. That diligence includes picking the right location for constructing new farm buildings away from neighbours, water, and wetlands. It’s also important to have enough storage to store manure safely over the winter months; manure shouldn’t
be spread when the ground is frozen, because it’s more likely to be washed away by rain and melting snow, instead of going into the soil.
4R Nutrient Stewardship is a program that’s been developed to let the world know when food has been grown sustainably. It balances farmer, industry, and government goals to improve crop productivity and fertilizer ef ciency, while also bene tting the environment. How? Through the “4Rs”– Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place ®: putting the right type of fertilizer at the right amount in the right spot at the right time for it to be most effective101.
What about water?
There are many different ways to calculate how much water is used to make different food products—and a lot of them can be misleading, like the claim that it takes thousands of litres of water to make one burger patty.
Tammy Fluttert
Yes, beef production does use water, but most of that water actually ends up back in the environment through manure or water vapour.
This process is known as the water cycle, and it means water is just being used and re-used, and not lost forever, as it merely goes back into rotation102.
46 The Real Dirt on Farming
Irrigating strawberry plants
Using water to grow crops
Some crops—most often fruits and vegetables—need more water to grow properly than just what they get from rain. The process of supplementing with more water is called irrigation, and there are a variety of technologies farmers use to make sure that their crops have enough water, and that they don’t use more than they need. In greenhouses, water used for irrigation is collected and reused, ensuring sustainable use of this important resource. Irrigation supports 40 per cent of our global food supply; in Canada, it’s only used by about 8.5 per cent of all farms103.
Even though Canada is home to 20 per cent of the world’s fresh water, its availability and quality are important issues for Canadians, especially as the climate continues to change. That’s another reason why sustainable farming practices, and using water in balance with the environment, are becoming more and more important.