Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 Grains West 30 Though Prairie farmers aren’t inclined to boast, through their adoption of new field practices in recent decades, they have already made huge gains in this area. “Over the last 20 years, farmers have done an excellent job of increasing carbon sequestration, and they don’t get full credit for that,” said Serfas. “Their efforts are worth billions of dollars to society in reducing flooding, volatile weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes and other aspects of global warming.” Pointing to a study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, Serfas noted, “each [short] ton of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere costs society US$185 per ton. That differs from the number the Trump administration cites, which is $0,” said Serfas. SPARE SOME CHANGE? While an adjustment in crop rotation may have merit on paper, real-world adoption is a tall ask. Statistics Canada identified a substantial shift in crop selection by Alberta farmers in the spring of 2025, largely due to low moisture considerations. For the most part, though, farmers are reluctant to change their rotation. Serfas’s research may provide broader incentives. “Diversity can be a great way to reduce your risk,” said Maryse Bourgault, assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan. She was not involved in the study. Where a farmer seeds canola and wheat year after year, with the odd pulse crop thrown in, adjustment to the mix may address inevitable agronomic side effects. “Growing the same crops every year can lead to greater disease pressure,” said Bourgault. “By altering your rotation, you may interrupt the lifecycle of diseases and minimize their impact.” Variety in cropping may also limit economic risk as global tariffs become more commonplace. Of course, the decision to change your rotation is step one; you then need to make practical crop choices. “Speaking frommy own experience as a researcher, I work a lot with legume,” said Bourgault. “Because they fix nitrogen, they don’t require added fertilizer, so people save on input costs. This will also benefit a following crop of canola, flax or wheat in terms of available nitrogen.” Bourgault stressed that willingness to vary a rotation helps a farmer adapt to changing conditions such as wetter years that often spark an increase in fungal disease. WILLINGNESS AND PERSISTENCE While such benefits may entice a farmer to vary their rotation, a little added incentive may also help. “Funding for an agronomist to aid growers could make a difference,” said Bourgault. “Some farmers tell me that they tried to change rotation and it was a disaster, so they won’t do it again, but nothing works perfectly the first time. You need to learn from experience, and a professional mentor can help guide them on new crops and methods.” Greater development of markets for niche crops by government may also assist. “There are crops like mustard and camelina that grow well on the Prairies, yet we don’t see a lot of acreage for them,” said Bourgault. “With pea, you need six to eight years between crops to manage Aphanomyces [root rot], so if we had better prospects for exporting chickpea or fava bean it would help with economic risk while enhancing soil health.” Often, to make a change may require reassurance from another key source: your neighbour. “Producers need to see tangible benefits to adopt a different rotation,” said Kui Liu, research scientist with the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Swift Current Research and Development Centre. Liu was also not involved in the research project. “If the farmer down the road has a new rotation and is seeing benefits, that’s great motivation to change.” It’s also important that the new strategy is practical, simple to adopt and fits with existing farming practices. FEATURE