ST. THOMAS, Sollio Agriculture, the Agri-business Division of Sollio Cooperative Group, inaugurated CRF Agritech, a new controlled-release fertilizer production plant in St. Thomas, Ontario. The project was launched in 2021, after Sollio Agriculture entered a joint venture with several of its cooperatives in Québec, its Agromart retail partners in Ontario and the Maritimes, and Pursell, a leading fertilizer technology manufacturer based in Alabama. Many were on hand for this event, which was also attended by the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, to celebrate access to innovative fertilizers with tremendous agronomic and environmental potential for farmer entrepreneurs. At present, CRF Agritech is the sole plant in Canada able to manufacture controlled-release custom fertilizer formulations using Pursell’s unique coating technology.
A $25 million investment
With an area of 25,800 square feet, the new controlled-release fertilizer production plant required an investment of over C$25 million. It manufactures next-generation controlled-release fertilizer, including PurYield, for farmers across all Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. It will also be able to produce other coated fertilizer for uses other than agricultural. At full capacity, the plant will manufacture over 100,000 tonnes annually. As part of the Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Ontario, CRF Agritech was awarded $154,000. This grant made it possible to speed up production and farmers’ adoption of this new generation of fertilizer technology.
Enhanced yield and environmental benefits
The patented technology used in St. Thomas is controlled-release fertilizer or CRF. It is used to apply a coating to fertilizer granules with the ability to add micronutrients and biostimulants, providing gradual nutrient release in the soil that is timed according to individual crop needs. While being more technically advanced than existing products originating from traditional suppliers, these innovative fertilizers offer many additional advantages.
By promoting higher yields through enhanced nutrient uptake by individual plants, there is reduced loss of nutrients through leaching as a result of surplus moisture and excess rainfall. Given the extreme weather events that farmers are facing, this important attribute has the ability to improve farm profitability.
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