Matt Gosling, P.Ag. and Andrew Clements, P.Ag. are 4R Designated Agronomists who understand the cruciality of getting this right, especially in Alberta, where soil variability from saline knolls to irrigated bottomland can be extreme within a single quarter section. They work closely with each grower client, reviewing zone maps, soil tests, and rotation history to build a site-specific fertility plan, then adjust it through the season, because the 4Rs are an adaptive process refined every crop year.
Precision Ag 4R
Precision Ag 4R
Premium Ag's 4R Designated agronomists: Matt Gosling, P.Ag. and Andrew Clements, P.Ag., understand the cruciality of managing fertilizer wisely in Alberta's high-cost environment. They apply the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework to build site-specific fertility plans that put more of every fertilizer dollar into your crop.
Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place
``The four rights are interconnected. They must work in synchrony with each other and with the cropping system.``— Fertilizer Canada 4R Pocket Guide
R₁
Right Source
Ensure a balanced supply of essential nutrients, considering both naturally available sources and the characteristics of specific products, in plant-available forms that suit soil properties.
R₂
Right Rate
Assess and match the amount of nutrient applied to crop demand — using soil tests to account for what's already in the soil and what the crop will actually need.
R₃
Right Time
Make nutrients available when crops need them — assessing the dynamics of crop uptake, soil nutrient supply, and nutrient loss risks to determine the best application timing.
R₄
Right Place
Place nutrients where plant roots can access them — keeping nutrients in the root zone to maximize crop uptake and minimize field losses.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
For growers in southern Alberta, fertilizer is the single largest input cost, and it’s not getting cheaper. Prices spiked over 80% in 2022 and remain well above pre-2020 levels. Phosphate is still up roughly 50%, potash climbed 21% in 2025, and natural gas, the feedstock behind every pound of nitrogen is projected to rise through 2026. At today’s prices, every $ applied to an acre that can’t turn it into bushels is money lost. Southern Alberta’s tight margins in both dryland and irrigated systems leave no room for blanket-rate guesswork.The 4R framework starts with considering all available nutrient sources, not just commercial fertilizer. In southern Alberta’s feedlot country, livestock manure is a significant nutrient resource that many operations already have access to. Municipal compost, like the product available from the City of Calgary, is another organic source that can supply nutrients and build soil organic matter. The 4R approach requires that these sources are tested, their nutrient content accounted for, and the commercial fertilizer rate adjusted accordingly, so growers aren’t paying for nutrients they’re already getting from manure or compost. Combined with variable-rate technology, the same management zones that drive your seeding prescriptions also drive your fertility, because a zone that can’t support more plants can’t convert more fertilizer into yield either.
What 4R delivers for your operation
Higher Nutrient Efficiency
Zone-specific rates ensure every dollar of fertilizer drives measurable yield, not wasted on acres that can’t respond.
Reduced Nutrient Loss
Keep nutrients in the field and in the crop rooting zone, reducing volatilization and runoff through better source, timing, and placement.
Seed + Fertility Alignment
The same management zones drive both variable-rate seeding and variable-rate fertility, so plant population and nutrient supply are matched to each zone’s potential.
Documented Stewardship
4R Designation provides auditable nutrient management plans, recognized by Fertilizer Canada and increasingly required by sustainability programs and end-use buyers.
Ready to put 4R to work on your farm?
Connect with Matt Gosling or Andrew Clements to discuss how 4R Nutrient Stewardship and variable-rate technology can work together on your operation.