Less acid rain has actually posed problems for Maritime corn crops

Less sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere is believed to have had an impact on corn quality in the Maritimes.

In 2018, Dan MacEachern, a research biologist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in P.E.I., began working with the Atlantic Grains Council to overcome issues the group was noticing with corn quality, in particular weight. Their five-year study ended in 2023.

"In the past we've produced some very low-quality corn," MacEachern said.

"You want to make sure that you have a heavy high test weight corn so that you have optimum feed quality," he added. 

MacEachern said researchers tried different fertilizers on fields across the Maritimes, and one that contained sulphur came out on top. 

Less acid rain

In the past, producers did not have to worry about too little sulphur because it fell from the sky in the form of precipitation.

"Since environmental regulations came into play … sulphur is actually being scrubbed out of industrial smokestacks," MacEachern said. 

"That's why we have to start making sure that we provide sources of sulphur for our crop." 

Between 1990 and 2022, sulphur dioxide emissions decreased by 78 per cent in Canada, according to a statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

Caitlin Congdon is a field crops specialist with Perennia Food and Agriculture in Nova Scotia. Perennia took part in the five-year study.

Congdon said it is important that farmers have research that pertains to their region. 

"So much of our information comes out of Ontario or other parts of Canada," Congdon said. 

"We're certainly a much smaller industry than other parts of the country. However, we do have a lot of livestock farms, especially here in Nova Scotia and … corn, cereals, soybeans, they're a really big part of the livestock feed."

Congdon said higher-quality corn is likely to have higher starch, and therefore higher energy. 

"So it's going to be a better feed ingredient for your animals. And then on the other hand, if you are growing grain corn to be able to sell it, then you're also looking for a high quality to be able to get the best price and test weight is a really big part of that quality," she said. 

Under farmers' noses

MacEachern said as more farmers consider adding sulphur to their fields, it's important to test soil because too much could lead to losing excess to groundwater sources.

He said there are a growing number of fertilizers with sulphur coming onto the market, but chicken, hog and dairy manure is an option right under farmers' noses and already being used on many fields. 

"So many of our corn producers are actually dairy producers and so it's a great resource," MacEachern said. "So many dairy producers here probably don't face an issue with sulphur deficiency in their crop."