Grainswest - Fall 2021

Fall 2021 grainswest.com 33 the industry group Farmers for Climate Solutions. However, Gowriluk pointed out this organization primarily represents organic farmers as opposed to conventional. “If it isn’t something that’s feasibly done in many parts of the country, then you’ve just developed a program and thrown a whole bunch of money into an initiative no one’s going to sign up for,” said Gowriluk. “It’s very frustrating from the perspective of a national association when government develops policy and they don’t consult with the farmers who are going to be the ones who have to actually implement these practice changes. “Unfortunately, what we’ve seen increasingly from this government is that a lot of the agricultural policy around climate and sustainability is coming out of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and the ECCC, for the most part, has not engaged [conventional] agriculture stakeholders,” she added. BEEF AND CROP SECTORS COLLABORATE The federal government received a substantial number of applications for the first round of the initiative. Sheri Strydhorst, AWC and Alberta Barley agronomy research scientist, is part of a project group led by Karin Schmid, Alberta Beef Producers’ research and production manager, who spearheaded a grant application for just shy of $100,000. It is intended to support the development of a network that, if successful, will develop a comprehensive project proposal. The phase one funding will help the group set up a governance structure, build collaborative networks and put together a team that will oversee the development of a phase two application. It will be the team’s job to ensure the proposal is scientifically sound and feasible from a farmer standpoint. One of the goals of the ACS program is to develop projects through collaboration with industry stakeholders. “The collaboration between the crop sector and the beef and forage sectors is a bit unique,” said Schmid. “There is a lot of overlap between the sectors in terms of the products that are used in the feeding sector and the nutrients from manure that are then used in the cropping sector. I think there are a lot of ways we can work together to advance the goals of the ACS program,” she added. If the Alberta funding application proves successful, said Strydhorst, the project group will consider the location of a Living Labs facility in an area of the province where the potential for carbon sequestration is highest. This includes areas where summerfallow remains common and where adoption of no-till soil management is lower. Similarly, areas with lower levels of soil organic carbon, medium to fine soil textures or where cropland is degraded may be targeted. “This is where the biggest gains can be made initially,” said Strydhorst. “Scientists have developed practices to increase carbon sequestration, now the next step in that process is to make these scientific solutions work on-farm. Farmer engagement will be critical for the success of this project. Living Labs will provide the opportunity to co-develop workable practices to sequester carbon in real-life farming operations. “This is an opportunity for farmers to have a voice and find tools that are practical to implement on their farms.” The model can tackle the social and economic barriers that hinder sequestration. “If it’s not practical for a farmer to grow cover crops, perhaps they could employ shelter belts or more diverse rotations.” Data collection will be the key from proposal to practice. “As we plan for the full proposal, we will develop experimental protocols to measure carbon sequestration in the agricultural production systems,” said Strydhorst. “We need to use the same methodology in all areas so that the data, when it’s compiled, can be meaningful. It needs to be able to survive peer review so that it’s reputable and solid data.” Once the methodology is in place, they will measure carbon sequestration potential under various scenarios. These may include the use of diverse rotations, cover crops or nutrient management strategies. Then the working group, which has not yet been established, will identify barriers to adoption, whether economical or logistical and provide an economic analysis of each strategy. The information will be used to inform policymakers. “I think everyone is really apprehensive about stepping into this space because it is a new space,” said Strydhorst, referring to the carbon market. “But we also see, from the policy perspective, just how important this work is.” Funding applications were under review at the time of writing, but Strydhorst and Schmid believe theirs is strong. Preparations for the second round of funding won’t begin until the first is approved. “If it isn’t something that’s feasibly done in many parts of the country, then you’ve just developed a program and thrown a whole bunch of money into an initiative no one’s going to sign up for.” —Erin Gowriluk Photo:ZoltanVaradi