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NFU report adjusts sequestration, fuel emissions numbers

Uncertainty about absolute numbers isn’t the same as uncertainty about trends: author

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian agriculture is sequestering more carbon than originally thought, but it’s also burning more diesel fuel, according to a new report from the National Farmers Union. In August, the NFU released the third edition of its Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Canada report. It reflected updated information from the latest national inventory that the federal […] Read more


Both sides are claiming victory in a recent ruling on dairy trade.  photo: arlutz73/istock/getty images

Keep balance in research funding

Declining federal government funding means others must fill in to fill the gap

Reading Time: 3 minutes Many ingredients went into the mix that resulted in the extraordinary success of agriculture in feeding a growing population. There’s the ability of farmers to constantly learn and increase their management skills. There are also vast improvements in technology – mechanical, digital and biological – that have come from researchers in both private companies and […] Read more

“There are a huge number of practices to both reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration...” – Joy Agnew.

The unbalanced carbon equation

Measurement mechanisms lacking, progress difficult to quantify, Alberta experts say

Reading Time: 3 minutes The goals to reduce fertilizer-based emissions by 30 per cent by the end of this decade, and achieve net zero by 2050, have been set.  The target has raised a number of challenges and opportunities for researchers working to support these efforts, including how to calculate an accurate footprint, and what incentives are necessary to […] Read more


Barclay Uruski, who farms near Arborg, Man., says Farmers Edge promised his carbon credits would pay for their services and then some.

Farmers say they were misled on carbon credits, urge caution

Farmers say they were told carbon credits would cover subscription costs, with a little extra, but the reality fell far short

Reading Time: 4 minutes Several farmers from Manitoba and Saskatchewan say they are out thousands of dollars after subscribing to a carbon credit program offered by Farmers Edge. “We have not seen a dime,” said Barclay Uruski, who farms near Arborg, Man. Farmers Edge is a Manitoba-based firm that provides digital farm management tools. It launched its Smart Carbon […] Read more

Climate policy expert Darrin Qualman agrees farmers should be rewarded for their stewardship efforts -- but says sequestering carbon in soil is highly problematical.

The Big Divide: Are carbon credits a good idea or waste of time?

No one’s against carbon sequestration but the best way to reward good stewardship is a tricky question

Reading Time: 4 minutes Should farmers be paid for the amount of carbon stored in their fields? Or for the practices that put the carbon there? That depends on who you ask. The head of the country’s largest bank recently backed the former, saying a “carbon soil market could be worth as much as $4 billion. But right now, […] Read more