GrainsWest Winter 2020

Winter 2020 Grains West 28 At one time, plant fertilizers contained nutrients such as copper, iron, manganese and zinc. Over time, products were refined to a purer formwithout certain heavymetals. Photo:Shutterstock Fertilizers once came jam-packed with scores of nutrients, including copper, iron, manganese and zinc. Gradually, fertilizers were distilled to become a purer product without certain heavy metals, stated El Hadrami. With the various elements separated out of the fertilizers, it also meant they were not going into the soils either. He points at canola as a case study for copper usage. “[Farmers] wouldn’t think of copper even though canola requires three times more copper than wheat,” he said. “The reason being is that they have a budget and they have to look at the budget of boron on canola.” El Hadrami asserted the woefully low usage, which he estimates is no higher than 10 to 12 per cent in Western Canada, is tied to a growing number of big, busy farm operations come springtime. “Time is the big portion,” he said. Farmers are working large acres, so once the snow melts, they just don’t want to add another operation. He admitted though, across Canada, Alberta has the highest percentage of seed priming and treatments with Saskatchewan and Manitoba close behind. He also acknowledged there is confusion and misinformation flooding the market, which makes farmers’ homework increasingly difficult. “Farmers need solutions and all that we hear is criticism that these products don’t work,” he said. “This supplements a good fertility program, they do not replace it.” Most farmers simply allocate their budgets to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and El Hadrami speaks with a disappointed tone about how agronomists and others scare off farmers from trying a potentially field-saving product. Worse yet, when tests are done, often it’s simply just a micronutrient and nothing else in a strip trial, he said, noting that’s the complete opposite of how a trial should run. “Using a more holistic approach and using these products in the program, you’ll prevent some deficiencies and see those yields go up year after year,” he said. “Rather than being reactionary, be proactive in applying them.” Like many others, El Hadrami is not keen with what he sees being pushed on farmers, but reminds them to exercise healthy caution. “Farmers have to apply common sense if someone is recommending a half-litre or litre of a certain product and promising a 20- to 30-bushel [increase]. That seems to be an outrageous claim,” he said. “Coming to farmers and showing they can get the crop off the ground two to three days earlier and benefit from the availability of zinc in priming, that’s more measurable and that’s what they have to expect.” Omex has third-party independent testing done on its products, for both safety and efficacy, along with a minimum of three years’ worth of trials before bringing a new product to market. El Hadrami said Omex is one of the only companies in Western Canada that voluntarily does this to continue to drive innovation and test new technologies. Still, it frustrates himwhen Omex is lumped in with businesses that prefer the low road. “Our industry was painted with a snake oil paintbrush and it still is,” he said. “We raised the profile, we started doing research and a few other companies followed suit.” FEATURE