Chairs of the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission say their Road to 2050 initiatives aims to preserve farmer interests while aligning with federal emissions goals..“The farmer-driven path to net zero must reflect what farmers have done and can sustainably do in the future,” said GGC chair Andre Harpe when the Road to 2050 initiative was announced in March..“The ‘Road to 2050’ will propose a path forward that focuses on innovation, research and beneficial management practices. This will boost productivity while continuing to enhance soil quality, improving the carbon sequestration potential of crop land and reducing emissions. This decision represents a practical and proactive approach to tackling climate change.”.Harpe, a Vauxhaul, AB farmer, explained the concept to Western Standard. .“We have to look at our management practices. There are obviously things that we can do better, such as soil testing, more variable rate [fertilizer application],” he said..“We just have to learn how to try and try and manage to reach that goal. But at the same time, we can't reduce fertilizer.”.The federal government said since December 2020 it wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers to 30% below 2020 levels by the year 2030. .Last September, Fertilizer Canada said a 20% drop in fertilizer application would cost farmers $48 billion in yields by 2030. However, its more recent report said better farming practices could facilitate emissions goals without a dramatic drop in fertilizer application..Harpe says carbon taxes and inflation have shrunk disposable income to make these adjustments, and farmers need help from Ottawa if they’re to reach federal goals. .When asked if crops were carbon sinks already — and even more so with a higher yield — Harpe replied: “It makes sense to me, and I guess the biggest thing [is] we need to establish a baseline just to see where we're at...".“Everybody’s got a few tree bluffs here and there. We need to start talking about what we do in our whole farm. Everybody leaves 10-, 16-ft of grass. There's lots of fence lines and lots of wetlands we have in all our farms that we don't take credit for. And we should.”.Brett Halstead, chair of Sask Wheat, says the point is to be “part of the discussion.”.“We wanted farmers' voices to be heard if there was any policy changes on reducing emissions and try to make sure that they were realistic and weren't going to hurt farmers financially or management wise,” Halstead told the Western Standard..“We wanted to just make sure we were in there and make sure that things didn't get too rigorous or were going to cost farmers a bunch of money.”.Halstead wants Ottawa to hear a positive story about farmers’ relationship with the environment..“Farmers care deeply about the land they're on and carefully steward it for the next generation,” said Halstead, who farms near Nokomis, SK..“Canadian farmers have long been leaders in sustainability and have embraced a lot of new technologies and farming practices that have helped us maximize production and protect the environment. And we've done that without government forcing us to do that.”.After the Road to 2050 was launched, Grain Growers released a YouTube video where farmers shared their “sustainability story.” Hannah Konschuh, a farmer from Cluny, AB, said direct seeding and zero till meant “our soils are actually net sinks of carbon.”.When asked if such farming should be counted as net zero emissions already, Halstead replied, “Well, it should be. But again, this is about getting the government to understand we do it better and better with our modern technology without the government introducing regulation..“We have some concerns about this, and that's why we're at the table to try to take farmers’ concerns forward. I don't want to think of the worst case scenario, even though it's possible. I want to just continue to tell a positive story about agriculture as our organization talks to government and industry about this.”.Sask Wheat’s website links to Ottawa’s Fertilizer Emissions Reduction Consultation, which includes a survey, and an email address dedicated to the topic. Halstead says farmers don’t want a federal ambush..“We don't need to make all these changes and do a better job, and then all of a sudden the government says, 'Well, hey, you guys got to do something.’ Well, look at what we're done without regulations,” Halstead explained..“We will continue to improve as technologies improve. We're producing more per acre, which means we're also lowering our carbon footprint. But we're doing it with more bushels per acre, which means we're gaining on both sides.”
