About Us
Great Facts
- Fertilizer, manure and compost are used to replace essential soil nutrients which are removed by the crops we grow to feed the world.
- Without the use of added nutrients, up to twice as much crop land would be necessary to support our growing global community. Virtually every park, wetland habitat, rainforest, and backyard would have to be brought under cultivation.
- Canadians enjoy one of the safest, cheapest food supplies on earth. We spend approximately 15% of our income on food.
- Humans use the same nutrients to live as plants do. Plants are a major source of protein and vitamins for much of the world’s population. For example, soybeans take nitrogen from the air and convert it into high quality protein for nourishing food.
- Our muscles and nerves depend on potassium to function properly. Parts of plants, like fruits and vegetables, contain high amounts of potassium so that we may make use of the nutrient. Plants take this potassium from the soil they are grown in.
- Did you know that compost/manure, when added to the soil in appropriate amounts, not only returns nutrients to the soil, but also increases a soil’s ability to hold more nutrients, water, and air, thus supporting a healthy crop?
- Did you know nitrogen is the fourth most abundant element in plant life – following only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen?
- The air we breathe is made up of 78% nitrogen.
- Our earth’s soil naturally contains nitrogen, most of which is held in the form of organic residues of plant and animal life.
Continued research into the most efficient and sustainable practices of nutrient use will be the key to feeding a growing world. Sharing the importance of crop nutrients, their role in crop production, and how that translates to a sustainable future is the goal of the Crop Nutrients Council.
