“Where does the figure of 30% come from? I would like to know where the number comes from. Why not 25% why not 20. Where does this figure come from? said Saik.
He said Canadian farmers already have an excellent track record for efficient nitrogen use compared to other countries.
“Many farmers around the world in warmer climates broadcast fertilizers and have a nitrogen use efficiency of 50%, which means 50% goes into the environment,” he said. “Western Canadian farmers have between 70% and 80% nitrogen use efficiency due to the technology we use and our climate.
Saik said there is always room for improvement as new technologies are developed.
“You have to consider section shutdown, soil tests, variable rate, you have to consider nitrogen inhibitors, you have to consider split applied nitrogen, we have to consider all of these things,” Saik said.
He added that if the government came up with some kind of scheme to arbitrarily pressure farmers to reduce the amount of nitrogen, it would be punitive for agriculture.
Saik made his comments during the AgSmart Field Day at Olds College in central Alberta.
Read more Lethbridge news now.
“Amateur web enthusiast. Award-winning creator. Extreme music expert. Wannabe analyst. Organizer. Hipster-friendly tv scholar. Twitter guru.”