Shanghai | Reuters — Nearly a third of China’s land is now off-limits to development under a scheme known as the “ecological protection red line,” a senior official said at a news briefing on Monday, bringing the country in accord with global biodiversity targets. China first proposed its “red line” scheme in 2011 to put […] Read more
One-third of China’s land protected under ecological ‘red line’ scheme
Authorities crack down on farm encroachment
What will King Charles’s reign mean for climate action?
Some projects may be handed to other family members
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — As Britain’s King Charles III begins his reign after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, environmental campaigners will be watching closely to see if he continues to advocate for climate action and is able to help drive change as monarch. In his first speech to the nation […] Read more
Dairy Farmers of Canada embraces goal of achieving net zero
Producers who back the ambitious goal say it’s both attainable and a good business move
Reading Time: 4 minutes Dairy Farmers of Canada has set a target for the sector to be net zero by 2050 — and is accompanying the pledge with a publicity blitz on billboards, radio, YouTube, TikTok and the internet. But how it will reach that ambitious emissions-reduction goal is still to be worked out. “We said that net zero […] Read more
Comment: Cutting fertilizer emissions and cutting fertilizer use aren’t the same thing
Critics sow needless concern about federal plans, which are based on policies the industry has been promoting
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers came away from the recent federal, provincial and territorial ministers meeting in Saskatoon with a few items stroked off their wish list. Farm organizations welcomed a $500-million or 25 per cent increase in cost-shared funding over five years, half of which will help farmers fight climate change and reduce emissions. The […] Read more
Federal, provincial governments partner on ecological goods and services program
Few details available so far on the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, but producers think it’s a good step
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new federal ecological goods and services program, the first of its kind, was announced in late July as part of the next five-year agriculture framework dubbed the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. About $250 million will fund a new Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP), designed to support ecological goods and services provided by the agriculture […] Read more
Massive soil carbon mapping could change views about cattle
Five-year, $3.2-million study will determine how much carbon is stored in pastures thanks to grazing
Reading Time: 3 minutes What is the real value of soil carbon? And how much carbon do cattle producers store in the soil? These are two questions that will be answered in a carbon soil mapping project conducted by researchers from the universities of Alberta and Saskatchewan. “The reason for the project is that carbon in the atmosphere is […] Read more
Indigo Ag to roll out first tranche of farm soil carbon credits
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. farm technology firm Indigo Agriculture on Wednesday said its carbon farming program has produced 20,000 tonnes in soil carbon credits that it will sell as emissions offsets to buyers including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Barclays BARC.L and The North Face. They are the first agricultural soil carbon credits to be verified […] Read more
Schoepp: Pity the poor cow — bovine burps have so many in a tizzy
In the vast world of ruminants, cattle and their belching are getting an awful lot of attention
Reading Time: 3 minutes It might be a sensitive time to talk about wearing a mask, especially for the rest of a lifetime. That simply cannot be in the best interest of any living creature. However, this is exactly what is being proposed — and being developed — for cattle. The mask (developed by art students) covers the nostrils […] Read more
Fortune favours the speedy when it comes to grants
Focus On Practical Energy: Federal farm programs often pay out large sums, but they can become fully subscribed very quickly
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a simple equation: federal cash for green initiatives goes to those farmers who apply for it. Already this year, the $18-million Agricultural Clean Technology program stopped taking applications because of high demand. Up next is the $185-million On-Farm Climate Action Fund, which will help pay for costs for improving nitrogen management, cover cropping and […] Read more
Ottawa’s focus on green programs a concern for some farm groups
Focus On Practical Energy: While the programs are fine, producers also need ones that don’t fall into the green ‘bucket,’ they say
Reading Time: 4 minutes The flood of federal funding for adopting environmentally friendly farming practices is a positive step, but also a “drop in the bucket,” says the general manager of Alberta’s cereal commissions. Producers should definitely apply for the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (which offers 85 cents on the dollar for certain green practices), said Tom Steve of […] Read more