Broadacre agriculture is synonymous with synthetic fertilizer. It’s the primary ingredient to a top crop and virtually all farmers use it. Canola, corn, soybeans and wheat all love a healthy dose of the critical input throughout the growing season, so to abandon its use sounds far-fetched. However, research suggests change is afoot, albeit not in Canada. Yet.

Olds College of Agriculture and Technology is assessing a machine that mimics lightning to create crop nutrients. The Thunder 365 allows farmers to make their own salt-free liquid fertilizer literally out of thin air. “The cost of fertilizers like urea and anhydrous ammonia has been extremely volatile, with prices peaking at historic highs in recent years,” said Angie Stoute, a research technician at Olds College. “If there’s a way to get that cost down, that’s a great thing.”

Fertilizer always has been and always will be vital to agriculture. However, this primary crop input has come under fire in recent years, most notably for its carbon footprint. The federal government took aim at fertilizer and its emissions, challenging industry to be more sustainable top to bottom. Price variability and unsteady availability of supply are also problematic.