For decades, soil scientists have studied nitrous oxide emissions from cropland during the growing season because they assumed that most emissions occurred from May until October. A University of Guelph and University of Manitoba study, published earlier this year, suggests that is incorrect. In cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere, like Western Canada and northeastern […] Read more
Tag Archives carbon tax
Scientists find surprise in soil’s freeze-thaw cycle: nitrous oxide emissions
Carbon taxation
A federal mandate to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by levying a tax on fossil fuels, emissions and fertilizers has not been well received. Are farmers justified in their fears that the new tax will place undue economic costs on the ag sector?
Canada’s plan to implement a tax on greenhouse gas emissions has caused a fair bit of hand wringing among prairie farmers. However, the financial impact of a carbon tax on the western Canadian agriculture sector could be far smaller than expected, according to agricultural economists at the University of Saskatchewan. That’s because biological emissions, which […] Read moreAlberta’s carbon tax plan may offer insight for others
Many Alberta farmers say program exemptions mean the new carbon tax isn’t as costly as some feared it would be
There has been much hand wringing in the farm community about carbon taxes but the experience hasn’t been too bad so far in the one prairie province that has one. “The hit wasn’t as hard on a lot of producers as we thought it was going to be,” said Lynn Jacobson, president of the Alberta […] Read more
Sask. vows to fight Ottawa’s carbon tax plan in court
Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall says the province will take Ottawa to court if it imposes a carbon-pricing plan. Environment minister Catherine McKenna last week released a technical discussion paper that outlines what the federal government would implement if the province doesn’t come up with a plan of its own. “This federal government white paper is […] Read more
Trudeau talks carbon while touring Saskatchewan farm
GRAY, Sask. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau eagerly climbed into the sprayer and combine and got down to the ground to examine an air drill during his visit to a Saskatchewan grain farm last week. Rural Saskatchewan didn’t vote for him, but those on hand to witness his enthusiasm and many questions about the technology […] Read more
Opinions mixed on carbon tax
After 75 minutes of debate at a Keystone Agricultural Producers meeting last month, it’s hard to say where the average Manitoba farmer stands on a carbon tax. Some want to fight it, others want a provincial referendum, others say farmers should get a refund and some say it’s inevitable, so farmers should be negotiating with […] Read more
Trudeau talks with Sask. farm leaders, not backing down on carbon tax
GRAY, Sask. — Prime minister Justin Trudeau says he understands the concerns Saskatchewan farmers have about carbon tax but he isn’t backing down from imposing one. Speaking to more than 100 people packed into the Gray Recreation Centre April 27, he said he appreciates how technology and innovation have helped farmers become more efficient and […] Read more
Man’s relationship with carbon polarizing
One gets a tusk, the next the trunk, a third the tail, the fourth man an ear and so on. Each is challenged to describe the elephant’s apparent properties based on their perceptions (and pre-existing perspectives) as a result of that single sensory experience. It’s a tale of multiple truths and realities that devolve into […] Read more
Alta. greenhouse growers brace for carbon tax impact
Alberta’s carbon levy, set to go into effect in January, will cost greenhouse growers an estimated $10,000 per acre next year, says the vice-chair of the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association. The levy will raise natural gas prices by $1 per gigajoule in the first year and another 50 cents per gigajoule in 2018 under the […] Read more
Sask. tailored carbon plan better route for agriculture
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has judged the Canadian public guilty of contributing to climate change to the tune of 1.6 percent of global emissions of greenhouse gases, and he has now entered the sentencing phase. Trudeau proclaimed our guilt in April when he signed the Paris agreement, aimed at curbing global warming emissions. The agreement […] Read more
