Battle lines are being drawn over how countries handle environmental and climate programs. It’s been suggested that climate programming could be a clever way for governments to funnel money to farm programs and remain under the radar of trade rules. There’s also the looming discussion of using these programs to “score” commodities on their carbon… Read More
Category: Climate Change
How can farmers adapt to changing weather and the impact it has on their farms? The ability to modify and reshape the farm to reflect a changing climate will be greatly impacted by land and soil type, location and farming practices, says Ohio State University climate researcher Dr. Aaron Wilson. He believes a key success… Read More
The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) has announced its 2023 executive committee, with a well-known Canadian name in the vice-president’s chair. Leading the organization will be Ian McConnel, of Tyson Foods, with Canadian rancher Bob Lowe, of Tri-L Ranch, serving as vice-president. Established in 2012, GRSB is comprised of over 100 member-organizations working to… Read More
Protecting grain crops from costly plant diseases and making crop production more resilient to climate change are two goals a new $2-million gift to the University of Guelph from Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). Announced at the close of the Ontario Agricultural Conference, the funding will support a new GFO professorship in field crop pathology… Read More
Climate change has cascading effects on many areas of life, many of them negative. However, a changing climate provide some upside potential for crop production. Jeffrey Schussler, an Iowa-based ag technology and research consultant with Schussler Ag Solutions, presented this week at the Ontario Agricultural Conference on how climate change has benefitted agriculture, how genetics… Read More
Climate change is a hot topic of discussion to the chagrin of some industries and the excitement of innovators. Agriculture is an industry at the centre of much of the climate action talk, with an expectation to evolve and adapt. This year agriculture in Saskatchewan was on stage at COP27, the United Nations’ climate change… Read More
Sustainability is a journey not a destination, and the global agriculture industry is working to balance meeting global needs while maintaining the health of the environment that supports the industry. That’s according to Jack Bobo, who works at Nature United using his expertise to oversee global food and water policy, and spoke this week at… Read More
Agriculture and food issues often cross provincial, national and international boundaries. Being a leader of a farm organization frequently requires representatives to look well beyond the farm gate to tackle issues that impact their members. That’s certainly the case for Thunder Bay, Ont., dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld, who in 2023 will again lead the Ontario… Read More
It’s a busy time of year in Ottawa and around the world for ministers and for the official critics, too. John Barlow, Alberta MP for Foothills, spent time in Paris, France, last week attending the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) minister’s meeting. Canada’s federal ag minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau, chaired the meeting. Now that… Read More
The cost of food, fuelled by inflation levels not seen in decades, is the top “life” issue concerning Canadians. That’s the headline emerging from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) 2022 public trust research report, released during the organization’s annual summit in Toronto this week. The 2022 findings illustrate that the cost of food… Read More
Environment and Climate Change Canada launched the national methane emissions reduction proposal in September, titled “Faster and Further: Canada’s Methane Strategy.” In it, the federal government outlines the expected reduction of methane emissions from agriculture based on 2020 levels. The total reduction — one per cent — is a pretty small portion, but it’s the… Read More
The “how” of countries around the world working to address climate action through legislation is taking various shapes — from aspirational goals and carbon pricing here in Canada, to fertilizer scrutiny and restrictions in the Netherlands, to taxing cow and sheep burps in New Zealand. New Zealand’s government has aggressive climate action goals, including going… Read More
Stability and sustainability are two key factors that FuelPositive is looking to provide farmers through their on-farm, green ammonia production system. By definition, green ammonia is 100 per cent renewable and carbon free, which, as we look ahead to farming practices, checks two sizeable boxes in the way of production. Although green ammonia may satisfy… Read More
Fertilizer emissions have garnered quite a bit of attention across Canada, and although this isn’t a new conversation, many questions still hang in the balance as the details get ironed out. In 2020, the federal government stated it wanted to see a 30 per cent reduction in fertilizer emissions by the year 2030. Some producers… Read More
The Manitoba Association of Watersheds (MAW) and Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds are rolling out the Prairie Watersheds Climate Program. The first phase of program includes up to $40 million available in funding for projects in Manitoba and Saskatchewan that focus on beneficial management practice (BMP) uptake and awareness. Funded by Agriculture Agri-Food Canada’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund, eligible BMPs… Read More