Keystone Agricultural Producers is looking for other commodity group partners on the conservation-based initiative
Glacier FarmMedia – Keystone Agricultural Producers plans to establish a soil health roundtable, encouraged by the recent release of a Senate report on the health of Canadian soils.
The report, “Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human and Social Health” was released by the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee in June.
The document argued for a federal long-term soil conservation and protection strategy. Changes including widespread no-till adoption have helped improve soil moisture management and crop yields, the report said, but soil degradation and loss of agricultural land have continued nationwide.
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Climate change, extreme weather events, urbanization and misread outcomes of soil management practices are also part of the problem, the report said, as is the lack of a central database and consensus on how soil health should be measured, reported and verified.
The committee suggested that the federal government appoint a national soils advocate and designate soil as a strategic national asset.
A significant focus would land on the Prairies, home to most of Canada’s agricultural soil, should report recommendations be accepted.
KAP member Mike Duguid proposed the roundtable at the group’s July advisory council meeting. His motion would see KAP collaborate, organize and facilitate stakeholder groups in its network to form the group. The resulting roundtable would discuss all aspects of soil health and ensure that provincial and federal efforts remain focused on farmer-led practices and initiatives.
“KAP is taking a leadership role on this,” president Jill Verwey said, adding that KAP is in talks with Senator Rob Black, who chaired the Senate committee, regarding the report.
“In our correspondence, hopefully we’ll be able to engage with producers and have some real, wholesome discussions as to how we accomplish those outcomes.”
Duncan Morrison, KAP member and executive director of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, seconded the motion. The proposal was carried with 78 per cent of delegates voting in favour.
It’s important for KAP to work with groups like the forage and grassland association to ensure the safety of Canadian soil, said Duguid, who is also chair of the MFGA.
“We feel that the more organizations that support soil health, the better. When you look at the state of some of the soils, it’s very important to watch out for … desertification in the big picture.”
The impact that soil has on grasslands, biodiversity, clean water and more cannot be understated, Duguid added. KAP will specifically look at how soil bases can be improved to prevent erosion and topsoil loss into water systems.
“That’s where we feel that the more organizations that speak about it, the better it is,” he said.
Morrison added that his organization would benefit from collaboration and leadership provided by KAP. The MFGA regularly consults with different commodity groups from the beef, dairy, sheep and bison sectors, and has heard calls for a soil-oriented organization.
“We’re involved in a lot of discussions at our board and at our farm level and we think that this will help string together some of the main players in a soil health discussion,” Morrison said.
He also noted the increased profile that soil health has been enjoying among industry and other individuals.
“It’s clearly evident that soil is important to all of us, and I see KAP as (taking) a leadership role,” he said.
