The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) says federal goals to lower fertilizer emissions by 30% are needless and would harm global food security.In a pre-budget submission to Ottawa, SARM said fertilizer reductions would hinder the province's key role in meeting federal agricultural export goals.“Saskatchewan is known worldwide as a consistent and reliable supplier of safe, high-quality grains, oilseeds, pulses, livestock and agri-food products. The United Nations has a goal of eliminating world hunger by 2030,” wrote the municipal group. “Canada has set a target to increase agriculture exports from $55 billion in 2015 to at least $85 billion by 2025. This 55% increase will not be attainable if the federal government reduces nitrogen fertilizer use by 30%.”The association called for the “rigid reductions” to be thrown out in favour of efforts to “work with industry and grain farmers alike to recognize that steps have already been taken and find workable solutions for the grain industry going forward.”SARM said Saskatchewan could not feed a hungry world if Ottawa stood against the best means possible.“Reducing the amount of fertilizer used in Saskatchewan’s agricultural operations would be detrimental and significantly impact Saskatchewan’s role in creating increased food security,” said the submission. “The federal government also requires a reduction of nitrous oxide as a part of its emissions reduction strategy. Saskatchewan producers would need to lessen the yield or productivity of their operation because the economic impact is just too significant. Future strategies need not compromise productivity of major crops and Saskatchewan.”The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association has found that producers sequester 9.64 million new tonnes of carbon dioxide annually on over 28 million acres.An extensive study by the Global Institute for Food Security found that Saskatchewan farmers already led the world when it came to low-emission agricultural practices. The study considered emissions from the entire life-cycle of production and showed that the province’s farming emissions were lower than the global and Canadian averages."Saskatchewan has achieved significant success in the sustainable production of food and is leading with agriculture and food production. Farming practices such as zero or minimum tillage, the adoption of herbicide-tolerant canola, a robust crop rotation and variable-rate application of fertilizer have transformed the province’s crop production sector (which contributes $26.3B to Canada’s GDP) from being a greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter to being a net carbon sink," the report explained."Many Saskatchewan producers practice the principles of regenerative agriculture, including minimal soil disturbance, robust crop rotation, covering the land, integrating livestock and the effective management of crop inputs. Scaling regenerative agriculture presents the opportunity to incentivize growers towards sustainable farming practices best suited to their regions."For canola Saskatchewan has the lowest carbon footprint by a wide margin, producing much less greenhouse gas emissions than global competitors. The same can be said for durum wheat..Saskatchewan and Western Canadian farmers also generate significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions in non-durum wheat production, at 29% and 13% lower respectively. Most regions studied are more than 90% higher than the Canadian average, with the exception of Russia which was 38% higher..Saskatchewan’s carbon footprint for the production of one tonne of lentils is significantly lower than competing jurisdictions and 32% less than Canada’s footprint. .Saskatchewan plants more than 50% of Canada’s field pea acres and it does so in a remarkably efficient manner. In other jurisdictions across the world, greenhouse gas emissions for field peas are orders of magnitude higher – well over 1,000% higher than both Canada and Saskatchewan.The report concluded such practices place "Saskatchewan, Western Canada and Canada in a favourable position with sustainable crop production, when compared to globally competitive regions across the world."
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) says federal goals to lower fertilizer emissions by 30% are needless and would harm global food security.In a pre-budget submission to Ottawa, SARM said fertilizer reductions would hinder the province's key role in meeting federal agricultural export goals.“Saskatchewan is known worldwide as a consistent and reliable supplier of safe, high-quality grains, oilseeds, pulses, livestock and agri-food products. The United Nations has a goal of eliminating world hunger by 2030,” wrote the municipal group. “Canada has set a target to increase agriculture exports from $55 billion in 2015 to at least $85 billion by 2025. This 55% increase will not be attainable if the federal government reduces nitrogen fertilizer use by 30%.”The association called for the “rigid reductions” to be thrown out in favour of efforts to “work with industry and grain farmers alike to recognize that steps have already been taken and find workable solutions for the grain industry going forward.”SARM said Saskatchewan could not feed a hungry world if Ottawa stood against the best means possible.“Reducing the amount of fertilizer used in Saskatchewan’s agricultural operations would be detrimental and significantly impact Saskatchewan’s role in creating increased food security,” said the submission. “The federal government also requires a reduction of nitrous oxide as a part of its emissions reduction strategy. Saskatchewan producers would need to lessen the yield or productivity of their operation because the economic impact is just too significant. Future strategies need not compromise productivity of major crops and Saskatchewan.”The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association has found that producers sequester 9.64 million new tonnes of carbon dioxide annually on over 28 million acres.An extensive study by the Global Institute for Food Security found that Saskatchewan farmers already led the world when it came to low-emission agricultural practices. The study considered emissions from the entire life-cycle of production and showed that the province’s farming emissions were lower than the global and Canadian averages."Saskatchewan has achieved significant success in the sustainable production of food and is leading with agriculture and food production. Farming practices such as zero or minimum tillage, the adoption of herbicide-tolerant canola, a robust crop rotation and variable-rate application of fertilizer have transformed the province’s crop production sector (which contributes $26.3B to Canada’s GDP) from being a greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter to being a net carbon sink," the report explained."Many Saskatchewan producers practice the principles of regenerative agriculture, including minimal soil disturbance, robust crop rotation, covering the land, integrating livestock and the effective management of crop inputs. Scaling regenerative agriculture presents the opportunity to incentivize growers towards sustainable farming practices best suited to their regions."For canola Saskatchewan has the lowest carbon footprint by a wide margin, producing much less greenhouse gas emissions than global competitors. The same can be said for durum wheat..Saskatchewan and Western Canadian farmers also generate significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions in non-durum wheat production, at 29% and 13% lower respectively. Most regions studied are more than 90% higher than the Canadian average, with the exception of Russia which was 38% higher..Saskatchewan’s carbon footprint for the production of one tonne of lentils is significantly lower than competing jurisdictions and 32% less than Canada’s footprint. .Saskatchewan plants more than 50% of Canada’s field pea acres and it does so in a remarkably efficient manner. In other jurisdictions across the world, greenhouse gas emissions for field peas are orders of magnitude higher – well over 1,000% higher than both Canada and Saskatchewan.The report concluded such practices place "Saskatchewan, Western Canada and Canada in a favourable position with sustainable crop production, when compared to globally competitive regions across the world."
