Agriculture Canada apologizes for “30% reduction of fertilizer use” error in report

Nov 03, 2023

Agriculture and Agri Food Canada (AAFC) has issued an apology for an error in a departmental results report wherein the ministry claimed that it was working towards a “30% reduction of fertilizer use” in Canada.

Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAuley published the “2022-2023 Departmental Results Report” which contained the discrepancy.

“The Department published a ‘What We Heard Report’ compiling the feedback received, which will inform AAFC’s work in collaboration with the sector, towards meeting the target of a 30% reduction of fertilizer use from 2020 levels by 2030,” wrote the original report.

AAFC has since said that the call for a blanket 30% reduction of fertilizer use was a mistake and that it would revise the report to accurately reflect the government’s emission goals.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.