Derek Hall

Sollio Agriculture Inaugurates its New St. Thomas Fertilizer Coating Plant

A unique manufacturing undertaking in Canada made possible through Sollio Agriculture’s network and partnership with Pursell

ST. THOMAS, September 18, 2023 – Today, 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.

New Research Project with McGill to Study the Benefits of PurYield

This three-year research project with McGill University is made possible by the collaboration of Avantis Coopérative and a $180,000 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Sylacauga, Ala. (August 14, 2023) Sollio Agriculture, the Agri-business Division of the Sollio Cooperative Group, is proud to announce that McGill University will test and validate the agronomic and environmental benefits of PurYield, a novel coated fertilizer known to enhance nutrient uptake by plants. Thanks to a $180,000 grant over a three-year period awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, McGill researchers will be able to compare PurYield fertilizer to commonly used uncoated urea fertilizer for its ability to increase growth, yield and quality of corn grain, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sollio has committed to providing an additional $30,000 per year in cash and in-kind contributions for three years.

In 2021, McGill and the Sollio Agriculture research farm observed that the use of PurYield reduced GHG emissions by 30%. The second growing season, in 2022, confirmed the main results of the previous year. Consequently, in collaboration with Avantis Coopérative and one of its member farmers, the study aims to enable McGill researchers to obtain scientific validation of reduced environmental impacts over a five-year reference period.

Sollio Agriculture’s commitment to more sustainable agriculture

“According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s 2022-2023 Outlook for Principal Field Crops, corn acreage in Canada in 2022-2023 should reach an all-time high.[i] The continuation of these trials is therefore extremely timely, as it illustrates our commitment to helping reduce the impact of agriculture on the environment,” said Casper Kaastra, Chief Executive Officer of Sollio Agriculture. “Furthermore, while farmers need fertilizers to obtain a quality product, they are also sensitive to the impact of their activities on the environment. This study, for which we thank Avantis for its collaboration, will confirm that it is possible to considerably improve yield and product quality while reducing ecological impact through sustainable practices that evolve over time.”

“Innovative fertilizer technologies allow agriculture to be part of the solution, to achieve Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions,” explains Joann Whalen, the James McGill Professor in Soil Science at McGill University. “Corn is a staple food crop that removes about 30 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per hectare from the atmosphere, every year. Using improved efficiency fertilizers, farmers can further reduce the GHG emissions from their farms, resulting in a lower carbon footprint. In our field trials, we are collecting robust information about the performance of PurYield and other fertilizers on commercial farms. This allows us to advise farmers and agronomists about fertilizers that are cost-effective, produce high-yielding, nutritious crops and improve soil and ecological health in sustainable agro-ecosystems.”

The research project comes after Sollio Agriculture entered a joint venture with several of its retail partners and Pursell Agri-Tech, a leading innovator in coating technology based in Sylacauga, Alabama. This has led to the construction of a controlled-release fertilizer plant, CRF AgriTech, at our St. Thomas site (Ontario), scheduled to open shortly in 2023. The facility will make advanced controlled-release fertilizers, including PurYield, for corn growers in Québec and Ontario, which produce 92% of the corn grain in Canada.

“In innovation, there are no small amounts. This grant is in addition to the one awarded earlier in 2023 by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) to help accelerate production and industry adoption of advanced controlled-release fertilizers, based on their proven positive environmental impact,” said Mr. Kaastra. “We are proud not only to produce innovative products locally in the region where farmers will use them but also to be recognized once again for our commitment and contribution to sustainable agriculture.”

This research aligns with Sollio’s mission to help feed the population and ensure prosperity for farming families to create a sustainable future for everyone. It is made possible by the collaboration between Avantis and XLKey, a company owned by one of its farmer customers.

About Sollio Agriculture

Sollio Agriculture, the Agri-business Division of Sollio Cooperative Group, is a Canadian leader in the agriculture industry. It specializes in merchandising farm inputs and providing value-added services to benefit farmers, cooperatives and partners. Its business model combines the strength of a local approach with the power of a national presence to offer innovative solutions, work on adopting sustainable farming practices and help local farming families prosper. Present across the country, it has more than 1,200 employees and made $2.929 billion in sales in 2022. For more information, visit sollio.ag.

About Avantis Coopérative