Reuters – Joey Airoso has always been proud of his cows, whose milk goes into the butter sold by national dairy company Land O’Lakes. Now he has something new to brag about: the vast amounts of gas produced by his 2,900-head herd is powering truck fleets, homes and factories across the state of California. “It’s […] Read more
Tag Archives Environment — page 21
U.S. utilities turn to farms in climate change fight
The United States, and especially California is ahead of Canada in adopting renewable natural gas
Editorial: Finding new ways of thinking
It pays to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, pushed to think a bit differently — especially if it’s about your line of work or something about which you are passionate. I recently attended a conference called the Sustainability and Digitalization Leaders in Agriculture. When the organizers first reached out to me — likely […] Read more
Agriculture and climate change
There is a positive side to the story of agriculture and climate change. Why is it so hard getting anyone to listen?
The Canadian Agri-food Policy Institute (CAPI) recently painted a picture of Canadian agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions that runs counter to commonly held public perceptions. The CAPI paper said generally the sector has its house in order. Canadian agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions peaked in 2005 and have remained steady at about 60 mega tonnes of […] Read more
WMO urges drastic action as global average temperature set to rise again
A 2015 treaty signed by 200 nations that set a goal of limiting warming to below pre-industrial levels is being changed
Geneva | Reuters – The global average temperature is set to rise to at least 1.2 to 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels over the next five years, a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) official said Sept. 22, close to a limit adopted in a global treaty. The prediction came as governments met in New York […] Read more
Study looks at how soils hold carbon
Science Notes: Whether carbon is held or released by soil has many influences
Researchers are using synchrotron light to better understand the impact of climate change on more than three trillion metric tonnes of soil carbon around the world. Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, scientists from across the United States investigated the plant root mechanisms that control long-term storage of carbon in […] Read more
Farm couple each head organic organizations
Gillian Flies takes over as president of Canadian Organic Growers
Dinner-table discussions at The New Farm near Creemore are taking on a heightened significance for Ontario’s organic farming community in 2019, as both members of the farm’s husband-and-wife management team have taken on key leadership roles in separate organic sector organizations. Brent Preston is now president of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) following […] Read more
Researchers work together to find high-tech solutions to deal with hotter climate
Scientists are looking at everything from improved genetics to robots to help farmers maintain productivity as the world heats up
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation – In decades to come, African farmers may pool their money to buy small robot vehicles to weed their fields or drones that can hover to squirt a few drops of pesticide only where needed. Smartphones already allow farmers in remote areas to snap photos of sick plants, upload them […] Read more
The natural heritage debate
Provincial land use direction continues to raise concerns with farmers who haven't been consulted
Farmers are worried that a change in the designation of their land to “natural heritage” will affect their ability to farm in the future. Farmers in Huron County are the latest to struggle with the designation of some of their land as “natural heritage”. Why it matters: The ability of farmers to cultivate land they […] Read more
Table scraps could be used to reduce fossil fuel use
Science Notes: Ontario technology could be more efficient than anaerobic digestion
Wasted food can be affordably turned into a clean substitute for fossil fuels. New technology developed by researchers at Ontario’s University of Waterloo uses natural fermentation to produce a biodegradable chemical that can be refined as a source of energy. The chemical could also be used to replace petroleum-based chemicals in a host of products […] Read more
U.S. fund managers adjust investment advice in light of extreme weather events
It’s a tricky business modelling how weather will affect farmers’ spending
New York | Reuters – After historic floods devastated Midwestern U.S. agricultural states this spring, some fund managers are evaluating how changes in weather and climate will affect the long-term value of companies that make or sell products ranging from tractors to fertilizer. The issue is not simply the unpredictability of weather. Instead, fund managers […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
