Zero till not the only way
In her Oct. 1 article, “Farmers want recognition for continued carbon work,” Karen Briere correctly points out that the practice of zero tillage puts carbon back in the ground. The research conducted on this front by the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association is critical and should continue.
However, zero tillage is only one of several ways that Saskatchewan farmers contribute to carbon sequestration and the fight against climate change.
When Saskatchewan farms conserve native prairie grasslands, forested areas and wetlands, they also store a great deal of carbon and increase Saskatchewan’s resilience against a changing climate. Ducks Unlimited Canada believes these practices should be recognized for the benefits they provide to agriculture and society.
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Wetlands are optimum natural environments for sequestering and storing carbon from the atmosphere. It is estimated that Saskatchewan’s remaining wetlands store 360 million tonnes of carbon — that is 1.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is more than seven times the total annual carbon emissions from the transportation sector in Canada.
Consequently, this stored carbon is released when wetlands are drained. In fact, draining as little as six hectares (15 acres) of wetland can release the same greenhouse gas equivalent as the carbon sequestered in one year from no-till farming 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres). Conserving wetlands and other natural areas is another important way farmers improve the overall carbon budget of Saskatchewan.
Because wetlands, native prairie and forested areas provide so much carbon storage value, it is essential that these areas are conserved. To that end, DUC supports intensifying crop production on lands currently being farmed in Saskatchewan. If new land must be brought into production, appropriate and real mitigation needs to occur, similar to the requirements placed on other industries.
Our next provincial government needs to invest in green infrastructure programming, allowing more farms to take advantage of the natural systems they are working to protect. This should be coupled with a vigorous mitigation program that balances development with protection of natural systems. Green infrastructure and appropriate mitigation will make Saskatchewan farms even more sustainable and will allow Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector to grow and prosper.
Michael Champion, PAg
Ducks Unlimited Canada–Saskatchewan
Liberal promises
“Federal government makes good on throne speech promises,” (Oct. 8, page 11). I’ve read a number of D.C. Fraser’s columns and you can tell he’s from Ottawa. Most of his columns have had a Liberal-friendly tone to them.
The Liberals are quick to make promises to the West but seldom carry through. When Minister of Agriculture (Marie-Claude) Bibeau is questioned about any problems, her reply is, “we are aware of the problem,” or “we’re looking into it,” and that’s the extent of her actions.
The $2 billion they promised to improve broadband access, if it’s ever delivered, will end up padding the profits of high-tech firms with questionable benefit to the people they serve. Maybe the contract may go to the WE foundation?
Trudeau is throwing billions of dollars that we haven’t got to organizations and countries all over the world. He’s made COVID-19 support so generous that it’s hard to find workers when you need them. The country will soon be bankrupt, and he’s still making promises we can’t afford.
Promising assistance that may never be delivered is not going to help anyone. There’s a huge difference between making promises for political gain and actually delivering on them.
Roger Brandl,
Fort St. John, B.C.
