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Tag Archives climate change — page 6

A hailstone collected by Western University’s Northern Hail Project had a maximum diameter of 12.3 centimetres, which is slightly larger than a standard DVD disc. It was found near Markerville, Alta., and weighed 292.71 grams, breaking a nearly 50-year-old record of 290 grams set in 1973.
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Climate change-severe weather link being studied

Western University launches five-year initiative to study hail and climate

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Glacier FarmMedia – The discovery by scientists of a record-breaking hailstone in Alberta this summer is part of an initiative to better understand severe weather in Canada during an era of climate change, potentially improving forecasts that could help producers. “These are the questions that this project is trying to determine — essentially, is climate change causing […] Read more
Prince Charles (now King Charles III) visits Shane Fitzgerald’s Kil Mige Mogue farm near Waterford in southeast Ireland on March 24, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Phil Noble/Pool)

What will King Charles’s reign mean for climate action?

Some projects may be handed to other family members

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London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — As Britain’s King Charles III begins his reign after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, environmental campaigners will be watching closely to see if he continues to advocate for climate action and is able to help drive change as monarch. In his first speech to the nation […] Read more
Withered earth on the field
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Europe facing its worst drought in 500 years

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Europe is facing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping, electricity production and the yields of certain crops, a European Union agency said Aug. 22.  The August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO), overseen by the European Commission, […] Read more
Livestock production is an easy target for policy makers focused on decarbonization.
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Opinion: Livestock, climate and a context embargo

Industry needs to lead the development of a balanced vision for the future

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“We are living under a context embargo.” I recently heard that statement and thought it was a good way to summarize the tendency to focus on an issue at the expense of understanding the bigger picture.  Unfortunately, those who try to bring attention to the bigger picture are often vilified. If you need proof of […] Read more
If the U.S. is to reach its 40 per cent carbon emissions reduction goal by 2030, funding corn-derived ethanol does not make sense.
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Opinion: Different approach, same goal

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Like their Canadian counterparts, U.S. farmers will soon have more funding available to adopt climate-friendly production practices.  But unlike Canada, the U.S. is not adding to the federal deficit to fund its climate change initiatives. It is aiming to reduce its environmental footprint and decrease its deficit at the same time in a bid to […] Read more
The author writes that while the new APF is a step in the right direction to help farmers mitigate climate change, it isn’t nearly as ambitious as is required to meet the amount of risk farmers face with regards to the increase in severe and frequent adverse weather events.
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Opinion: Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership delivers on dollars but falls short on climate ambition

It’s not clear how many of the federal-provincial cost-share program dollars will go toward emissions reduction programming

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On July 20, federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture gathered in Saskatoon to finalize a five-year multilateral agricultural policy framework (APF) that promises to have a significant impact on Ontario farmers in the future.  This multi-billion-dollar framework includes several distinct programs, and when they are combined, they represent the main funding mechanism by which […] Read more
The rise in average temperatures is contributing to declines in soil moisture, which can impact crop production and degrade soil.
Crops, News

Soil quality critical to help crops weather heat stress

Science Notes: Study analyzed 30 years of data on four major crops

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The capacity of soil to hold water will be critical to determine how well farms in some regions of the United States manage prolonged heat stress due to climate change, a new study suggests. The journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems published the finding, based on analyses of 30 years of data on four major crops — […] Read more
Tying environmental programming to BRM is likely not going to achieve what the federal government is hoping for.
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Editorial: Feds won’t budge on climate goals

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A new five-year agriculture policy framework was finalized during the federal-provincial agriculture ministers meeting last month in Saskatoon, and as expected, it includes a funding mechanism to help Canadian farmers deal with the effects of climate change.  But many are questioning whether or not this new framework is sufficient for helping farmers for helping farmers […] Read more
Will tying eco-goals to risk management programs work?
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Will tying eco-goals to risk management programs work?

Reduced participation and resource drain are real concerns, according to new report

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The federal government recently confirmed that climate-focused environmental programming will be integrated into Canada’s farm Business Risk Management (BRM) programs. A research paper from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) questions whether the strategy will achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals.  Why it matters: Business Risk Management programs must be improved if cross-compliance with environmental programming […] Read more

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