Reuters — Canada released its first real roadmap to meeting 2030 climate targets on Tuesday, laying out detailed plans and $9.1 billion in new spending to cut planet-warming carbon emissions after years failing to meet its goals. The Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) is the first time Canada has had a comprehensive plan, rather than just […] Read more
Canada lays out $9.1 billion roadmap to meet 2030 climate targets
About $1 billion earmarked for new or expanded ag programs
The reason why some cattle produce less methane
Research suggests emissions could be lowered by breeding for specific ‘microbial genes’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Methane-reducing feed ingredients have the potential to significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by livestock. But so do breeding programs that focus on the DNA of an animal’s gut bacteria, says a U.K. researcher. Researchers at SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) measure methane emissions and feed efficiency from cattle using respiration chambers. They […] Read more
Industry and farm organizations fear fertilizer volume cuts
A made-in-Canada approach using 4R proposed as a means for meeting emissions targets
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was a dramatic claim — if Canadian farmers reduce their fertilizer use by the federal government’s proposed 30 per cent, they could lose $48 billion by 2030. It came last month in a release from Fertilizer Canada, which said that, that would be the loss if Canada followed the European model of cutting fertilizer […] Read more
China to make protein for livestock from carbon monoxide
Beijing | Reuters – Chinese researchers say they have found a way to produce an animal feed protein from carbon monoxide in what is being hailed as a breakthrough that could help reduce the country’s reliance on huge volumes of imported soybeans. China is by far the world’s top buyer of soybeans, bringing in around […] Read more
What’s the latest news on cattle and carbon?
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Resource Council has created a new primer on cattle and greenhouse gases. The ‘Beef Cattle & The Carbon Cycle’ web page, for example, looks at carbon sequestration on grasslands and why they’re a more stable carbon sink than forests but also why it’s hard to say with precision how much carbon is […] Read more
New federal grain dryer grant program about to launch
Indications are the new $50-million program will look a lot like one launched in Alberta last year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers can start submitting applications this month for a federal program that will cover half of the cost of more energy-efficient grain dryers. Ottawa has set aside $50 million for the so-called “adoption stream” of its $166-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program. Another $10 million will be offered for “powering farms with clean energy and moving off […] Read more
Giving credit where it’s due: New front opens in carbon tax debate
Farmers could benefit greatly from a carbon trading market but the devil will be in the details
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new front has opened up in the carbon tax debate: What sort of reward will farmers get for their stewardship efforts? On March 6, the federal Environment Department — now named Environment and Climate Change Canada — issued a draft of the regulatory framework for its new carbon offset market. This sets the stage […] Read more
No credit expected for farmers’ past work in new carbon market
Work on protocols for specific projects to begin this spring, department says
Draft regulations for Canada’s new carbon market show Canadian farmers won’t receive credit for removing any greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the atmosphere prior to 2017. Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Friday announced the offset market, to be known as the Federal Greenhouse Gas Offset System. A 60-day public consultation period on draft regulations […] Read more
Using more canola for biofuels would be a ‘win win’
Canola Council of Canada backs the federal government’s plan to boost the use of green fuels
Reading Time: 2 minutes Part of the federal government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is drawing qualified praise from the Canola Council of Canada. The organization says it “sees potential in the federal government’s proposed rules for the Clean Fuel Standard.” The measure is intended to “reduce the carbon intensity of the fuels” and one of those ways […] Read more
Fertilizer use fuelling climate-warming nitrous oxide emissions, study says
London | Reuters — Rising use of nitrogen-based fertilizers is driving up global emissions of nitrous oxide, a lesser-known greenhouse gas, complicating efforts to limit climate change, scientists reported in a study on Wednesday. Most of the focus in curbing climate-warming gas emissions has focused on the most abundant, carbon dioxide, and one of the […] Read more
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