Canadian agriculture is one of the most efficient and carbon friendly agricultural systems in the world.
However, that doesn’t mean farmers can afford to sit on the sidelines while de-bates continue about agriculture’s role in reducing greenhouse gases. To do that could result in impossible regulations and unworkable restrictions.
The recent world climate change summit in Paris, and the federal Liberal government’s emphasis on greenhouse gas emission targets, should have farmers, ranchers, feedlots, grain companies and anybody else who makes their living in agriculture on high alert.
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There must be a concerted effort to present the compelling stories of how the Canadian industry is ahead of the curve on climate change mitigation.
Farmers make their living off the land and do so with a proud commitment of ensuring the land, the earth and the overall environment are there for future generations. These are people who know well the rhythms of the earth.
The story must be told of farmers’ eager adoption of zero and minimal till practices, which holds carbon in the soil while also protecting soil organic tilth and preserving water.
Canada has long had programs in place to encourage farmers to invest in the latest zero-till technology and GPS systems to provide more efficient use of seed, fertilizers, water and other inputs.
There is the story to tell of Canada’s livestock producers who efficiently use marginal land that otherwise might be plowed up for crops.
And there is information that may not be so well circulated at climate change meetings.
For example, the most carbon efficient beef animals are those given growth hormones to speed weight gain and those fed grain in feedlots.
Researchers in an Australian study found that grain-finished beef produced 38 percent less methane than grass-fed animals.
Other studies have found the difference to range by as much as 70 percent less. Those efficiencies are realized mostly because animals are slaughtered at a younger age, which reduces the overall methane produced on a per kilogram of meat basis.
The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization has stated that livestock production is responsible for 14.5 percent of human caused greenhouse gas emissions.
Statements like that have buried other studies, such as one by the University of California at Davis, which said the number is more like three percent.
These counter arguments show why agriculture must be at the table.
Canadian farmers have proven over the years that they are inventors and adaptors, two skills that helped them survive the harsh times of the 1980s and 1990s and will prove valuable in addressing the climate issues ahead.
Agriculture has been identified as an industry likely to be among the most affected by climate change. It is also one of the most threatened because the map of key growing regions could be completely redrawn as world hot spots shift.
Yet when policies for change are drawn up, Canadian producers deserve credit for their leading edge ways.
And future changes must encourage innovation and research with incentives and beneficial programs rather than punishing penalties.
