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Message from the Chair

The face of agriculture in Canada is changing. Agricultural producers can expect more government and public scrutiny of crop nutrient use.  

We are seeing an increase in federal emphasis on environmental issues through the Agricultural Policy Framework and the goal of national environmental farm plans.  The municipal, provincial and federal levels of government are all becoming concerned about the impact nutrients could have on the environment.  This “green” government agenda is largely being driven by the public, who have taken a growing interest in farming practices across Canada. 

 As an industry, we recognize that these issues are going to have a significant impact on how all agricultural producers across the country manage their businesses.   In the future, producers can expect to be asked to demonstrate that their farming practices meet rigorous environmental standards and satisfy local public concerns. 

The Crop Nutrient Council (CNC) was founded largely in response to this growing reality of environmental policies and public interest regarding nutrient use in Canada.  A key force behind the CNC’s formation in May 2003 was to provide a forum where all members of the nutrients value chain could come together to discuss nutrient management policies, provide an industry voice to assist governments in policy development, and to help provide information back to primary producers. 

The establishment of the CNC is a great accomplishment that would not have been possible without the vision and hard work of all participants in agriculture, including suppliers and users of organic and commercially produced nutrients.  Our members include livestock producers, crop producers and fertilizer manufactures.  

Together, we have already come a long way in educating and informing agricultural producers, the public and government on the beneficial management practices taking place in the Canadian agriculture industry. I encourage you to spend some time here on our website, where you will find all of our publications and other resources, an overview of our activities, upcoming events, and more.

Richard Phillips

Chair, Crop Nutrients Council