Grain-grower emissions take big dip

THUNDER BAY — Turns out enjoying a sandwich on your favourite slice of rye isn't as hard on the environment as it once was.

The Grain Growers of Canada said this week its 65,000 members helped cut "intense" agriculture-related greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions in half between 1997 and 2017.

"This resulted in a 50-per cent reduction GHC emission intensity from 1997 to 2017 in the agriculture sector, surpassing the 36-per cent reduction across the Canadian economy during the same timeframe," the Ottawa-based association said in a news release.

The association said it wants to work with the federal government to further reduce emissions while "facing the urgent need to feed more people . . . and keep grain farms profitable."

"Recommendations include increasing public and private breeding research, expanding eligibility criteria and funding for current climate programs and developing a data management strategy," the association said.

Meanwhile, local experts say that as global warming intensifies, farmers will need to focus on hardy crops, like winter wheat and rye, and perennials like alfalfa that "are least impacted by the climate."

Tarlok Sahota, the director at Lakehead University's agricultural research station just west of Thunder Bay, noted, "Good fertilizer management practices make crops more tolerant to aberrant weather."

The Chronicle Journal / Local Journalism initiative