Farmers tend to roll their eyes at mention of the word “sustainability.” It’s a topic the whole world wants to address lately, but farmers generally feel they’ve been left out of the discussion. In a July report by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), farmers take the lead in a rethink and reset of the ag sustainability agenda. GrainsWest spoke with CAPI managing director Tyler McCaan about the guidance provided by the 720 Canadian farmers who contributed to Navigating the Path to Sustainable Agriculture.

Across Canada, the federal government continues its push of the ag industry towards greater sustainability to offset climate change. 

Canada has entered a new political era defined by concerns about climate change and the environment. Top of mind for the federal government, many of its strategic priorities tie into climate goals and sustainability.

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC) released the results of its consultation on the Responsible Grain voluntary code of practice this month. The majority of participants do not support the draft as it is currently written. However, most provided constructive feedback the code development committee will use to improve and simplify the document.

The government created RDAR to implement the new approach to agricultural research and appointed a nine-member interim board to launch the non-profit company. 

Kevin Auch is looking for one more crop to complete an ideal rotation on his 5,500-acre farm near Carmangay. He’s working with a pretty decent five-crop rotation right now, and each should comprise 20 per cent of his cropped acres.