The Canadian government is counting on a 30 per cent reduction in emissions from nitrogen fertilizer by 2030 to reach its international climate change commitments, but unless there are changes to the way emissions are calculated, it appears farming practices that are proven to reduce emissions from fertilizer would not be counted toward meeting the… Read More
A $200 million, three-year fund has been launched by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under the federal government’s Agricultural Climate Solutions program. As of August 12, the On-Farm Climate Action Fund is now open for delivery partner proposals. The partner(s) will then provide direct grants to farmers to adopt beneficial management practices that store carbon and reduce… Read More
On behalf of Minister and Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced today (July 23) more than $25 million in funding to conserve, restore, and enhance critical wetlands and grasslands on the Prairies. Minister Wilkinson stated that Western Canadians know that climate change is here. “They also know… Read More
The Ontario government has announced changes to biogas rules in an effort to expand the biogas and renewable natural gas market in the province. The regulation changes will enable new on-farm biogas systems and expansion of existing systems to be approved more easily and at a lower cost, to help ensure that Ontario continues to… Read More
The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) has announced its plan and commitment to sustainability goals by 2030. Focused on three areas — climate, land use, and animal health and welfare — the plan outlines the roundtable’s “commitments to advance and improve the sustainability of the global beef value chain.” Specifically, GRSB aims to globally reduce by… Read More
Regeneration Canada is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness and catalyze systems of change towards regenerative land stewardship in the country. Through workshops, online education, and information materials available to the general public, farmers, ranchers, and land stewards, Regeneration Canada hopes to engage with all stakeholders involved in decision-making regarding land. But… Read More
The UN Food Systems Summit is set to take place this fall, and what happens at the summit could very well impact your farm operation. Whether you are in British Columbia or through to Prince Edward Island, this meeting could inform policy back here in Canada and alter what is deemed acceptable practices in here… Read More
Nitrous oxide is one of the three main greenhouse gases emitted by agricultural activities, and nitrogen fertilizer management is one of many ways to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, and to keep our nitrogen where it needs to be for a crop. Wes Anderson, vice president of agronomy with Croptimistic Technologies, has written a blog… Read More
Forests Ontario and partners are working to plant 26,000 new trees in Rouge National Urban Park, in Toronto, as part of the federal government’s pledge to plant millions of trees to combat climate change. The trees planted are aimed at creating riparian buffers and wetlands, improving habitat connectivity, fixing carbon, and enriching agricultural soils in Rouge National… Read More
The Governor of Michigan has eastern Canadians wondering how they became so dependent on a pipeline coming from the U.S., as Governor Gretchen Whitmer is determined to have Enbridge cap Line 5 which would starve Ontario and Quebec of 50 per cent of their energy supply. The Canadian government has taken court action this week,… Read More
A series of three meetings were jointly held last week led by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) and Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The purpose of the meetings was to discuss grazing livestock and their role in building a sustainable food supply system. The meetings and consultations were held in preparation for the United Nations… Read More
The recently announced Bill C-290, the Soil Conservation Act, has many steps to pass through before becoming an act. The premise of the bill — supporting efforts to create a national soil health strategy, that soil is the foundation for sustainable food production, enhanced biodiversity, cleaner air and water, and are at the root of… Read More
Member of Parliament and NDP ag critic Alistair MacGregor has introduced Bill C-290, a Private Member’s bill titled the Soil Conservation Act. Citing the importance of soil as an essential resource to society and that healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable food production, MacGregor proposes the bill support the establishment of a national soil… Read More
A diesel-powered engine is pretty powerful and much cleaner running than it used to be, but over the years has gotten a bad name. Lately, both the Biden and Trudeau governments have been pushing the climate agenda, and, in regards to farm equipment, the push to biodiesel and alternative power sources is evident in their… Read More
The Trade and Climate Change conference was held virtually on April 7 to 9, 2021, and was a joint effort of U.S.-based Farm Foundation and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI). The objective of the conference was to explore topics in the context of global trade, where climate change policies have become “increasingly ambitious and… Read More