Could lightning-inspired fertilizer offer Canadian farmers a climate-friendly alternative?

The report says the war in the Middle East has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and damaged Iran's fertilizer production capacity, tightening global fertilizer supply. Canadian farmers are facing the risk of shortages and sharply higher prices. Some farms are testing on-site fertilizer production using cold plasma technology, an approach often described as "lightning-inspired". The technology remains in an early trial phase and has not yet been validated through peer-reviewed research. The supply shock is pushing up agricultural input costs, reinforcing cost support for fertilizer-dependent staple crops such as wheat and soybeans.