A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR FOOD SECURITY

As global supply chains continue to face challenges in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, food security concerns are further compounded by shortages of essential resources resulting from sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus. Potash, a critical mineral used in the production of fertilizer and crop growth, is one such essential resource impacted by recent events.

At Sage Potash, we ' re dedicated to advancing a sustainable production of domestic potash supply to satisfy the agricultural needs of North American farmers through our Sage Plains Project located in the Paradox Basin in Utah, USA.

Why Invest With Us Did You Know

That the United States imports 95% of its potash requirements? For a country that is home to the world's 5th largest potash reserves, this statistic shows huge potential for domestic production to meet American agricultural demand.

American agriculture is critical to Canadian food security, making domestic potash production a matter of North American concern.

Optimally situated within the Paradox Basin in Utah, Sage is located in a region known for its high-grade potash reserves that are estimated to be 2B tons in size

Through the use of solution mining, Sage Potash's production plans promote sustainability that will result in a smaller environmental footprint and more efficient production.

The company ' s management team is comprised of experienced professionals with a proven track record in the potash mining industry committed to delivering strong financial performance.

With over 50 years spent working on salt and potash deposits globally, RESPEC is a valued and trusted engineering partner instrumental in advancing the Sage Plains Project.

RELIABLE

INFORMS there are some difficulties in measuring the absolute effect since reduction levels are dependent on a few factors.

AND IS VALUABLE TO RESEARCHERS WHO ARE TRYING TO MEASURE PRACTICE EFFICIENCIES. BRUULSEMA KNOWS THIS CAN BE CONTROVERSIAL FOR FARMERS, BUT MORE DATA NEEDS TO BE COLLECTED AND SHARED, EVEN JUST WITH A TRUSTED AGGREGATE RATHER THAN A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION.

“In Western Canada, emissions are smaller, so the emissions reductions are smaller, as compared to Ontario, and Quebec,” says Bruulsema. “And then, specifics of the farm – the soil texture, the landscape and the drainage of the soil – also has effects.”

There is also value to the grower in investing in inhibitor products since it will increase fertilizer efficiency which will increase yields by a small amount without much cost savings.

Reliable information informs policy and is valuable to researchers who are trying to measure practice efficiencies. Bruulsema knows this can be controversial for farmers, but more data needs to be collected and shared, even just with a trusted aggregate rather than a government organization.

“Someone needs to know what’s been done where, so that the science-based models used to estimate greenhouse gas emission have reliable information on what’s been done so that they can predict what the benefit of those practices is in terms of mitigating environmental problems.”

Policy Needs

Federal nitrogen reduction policy has been keeping Bruulsema busy for the last few years. The government announcement in December 2020 was the first anyone in the fertilizer industry heard about plans to set a reduction target, and collaboration with the industry evolved rather slowly.

“We’ve successfully had some good meetings where we exchanged perspectives on how realistic that target was to achieve and what were the obstacles in reaching that target,” he says.

The government has already recognized the cost-sharing potential of nitrogen inhibitors since there are large reductions of emissions without the direct benefit to farmers.

“Nitrous oxide doesn’t have any negative effects directly, specifically on that farm, so it’s really a societal benefit by reducing nitrous oxide emissions. Those are products that are worthy of cost sharing,” says Bruulsema.

Further discussion is happening on which nitrogen inhibitors would be chosen for a cost-sharing program. “Not every product on the market that has the claim to be a nitrification inhibitor is necessarily as efficacious as another. So, there’s a lot of work to be done to sort out some of those questions.”

If farmers are going to reduce their nitrogen inputs, it must be done without “jeopardizing product productivity and profitability of farmers,” says Tenuta. They are working at the University of Manitoba to understand how these costs become barriers to adoption.

Another barrier to adoption is government mandates. This does not sit well with farmers, he says, but if adopting a practice will help farmers save money on their fertilizer bill, that becomes more of an incentive for adoption.

Other Emission Factors

While fertilizer reduction practices have been important to profitability and minimizing losses, Bruulsema also encourages other indirect emission reduction practices, like planting timing, controlling weeds, nitrogen-fixing plants in the crop rotation and avoiding soil compaction.

One other point Bruulsema stresses is that the industry itself is focused on sustainable and environmentally friendly fertilizer production. Development of green and blue ammonia products have become a focus of the industry, with the production process getting its own carbon footprint overhaul through renewable energy sources. There is no clear date for their release into Canadian markets, but Bruulsema is expecting new products in the next three to five years.

However, availability and effective pricing has already been a challenge for the industry.

“We need to be prepared for a future where we’re not just simply using the same products that we are used to using now, particularly urea.”