Towards a Livable Future - Climate Friendly Agriculture

by Kate Storey - Citizen’s Climate lobby - Dauphin, Manitoba

Farmers and ranchers are among those most affected by the climate, and yet agriculture is a contributor of climate changing greenhouse gas emissions.  As we work our fields and care for our livestock, it’s hard to imagine how our day to day farm decisions can have an impact on the atmosphere and on the heat, drought, floods, and weather extremes that affect our yields.  Farming activities can store carbon and nutrients in the soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Farming activities can also release chemicals into the air that accumulate, destabilizing the climate we depend on. 

Fortunately, there are climate friendly farming practices that are both good for the environment and good for farm net incomes. Although the choices that we make on our individual farms may seem insignificant, the widespread adoption of climate friendly farm practices can lead to an agriculture system in which emissions are reduced and carbon is captured in the soil in sufficient quantities to help stabilize the climate. We can all do our part.

The largest source of farm greenhouse gases is nitrogen fertilizer. It has been shown that almost half of agricultural emissions come from the production, transportation and application of synthetic fertilizers and from sprays. Farm inputs are expensive and can easily be wasted. The obvious solution is to use them wisely and sparingly. The 4R program outlines how to achieve an immediate 15% reduction in synthetic fertilizer emissions simply by using fertilizer from the right source and applying it at the right rate, time and place. The same 4R idea can be applied to pesticide applications, saving the farm money, reducing the chemical load on the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A growing number of farms are adopting techniques to naturally regenerate soil nutrients. Techniques such as crop rotations, cover cropping, intercropping and the working of green crops into the soil are effective ways to increase soil nutrients and reduce the need for purchased chemical inputs.

Farmers are increasingly recognizing the value of what used to be considered “waste” lands. It is now recognized that those areas of trees, grass or wetland are significant contributors to crop success, vigor and yield. Trees and grasslands are nature’s best carbon capture technology, stabilizing the water cycles while providing a refuge for the species that pollinate and protect our crops. Integrating trees and shelterbelts takes little space but can increase yields for a significant part of the surrounding field. There are new climate friendly cattle grazing techniques which allow a pasture time to rest and re-grow, capturing more carbon while increasing the productivity of the land and the farmer’s profits. The old ways of removing every tree, draining every slough, blackening the soil, grazing every blade of grass and then buying synthetic nutrients, have been shown to be economically and environmentally unsustainable. There is a new way of farming that uses natural and regenerative soil building techniques to grow good-yielding crops without the need for high input costs.

Off the farm, there is growing interest in rebuilding the local food economy and reducing the transportation that is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The pandemic has inspired public dissatisfaction with the frailty of global food monopolies and the knowledge that the transportation of livestock, grain, feed and finished food products over great distances does not result in tasty, fresh food.  Canadians want to know where their food comes from and how it was produced. They don’t want to depend on imported food, imported workers or food monopolies that can be suddenly shut down. 

Think how much more livable our world will be if we rebuild the local food systems that create jobs in our rural towns and put fresher food on Canadian’s plates. On our farms, we can provide space for the beneficial species that protect and pollinate our crops by leaving a few hectares of natural trees and wetlands. We can reduce the chemical load in the environment by buying less chemical fertilizer and by using soil regenerating, carbon capturing farm methods. We can all do our part to create a resilient, sustainable food system and a livable climate for future generations.

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A power pylon wrecked by severe weather. A Manitoba Hydro photo.

 

Pembina Institute reacts to the passage of Bill C-12, key to delivering on climate targets. Story here.

When corporate interests trump the human right to clean drinking water - a case of concern in Manitoba, Canada.

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Don Sullivan (above) is the spokesperson for What The Frack Manitoba, the former director of the Boreal Forest Network and special adviser to the government of Manitoba on the Pimachiowin Aki UNESCO World Heritage site. He's a research affiliate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and a Queen Golden Jubilee medal recipient.

Two corporations, both Alberta-based, are in the midst of seeking Government of Manitoba approval to build and operate silica sand mines and processing facilities that would extract and process some 2.6 million tonnes of silica sand per year. Story here.

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Superbug fears as British supermarket pig farms escalate use of antibiotics

THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

Hog producers on the Canadian prairies (AB,SK & MB) were feeding more antibiotics to their herds in 2018 than 2017. (Source - CIPARS)

The use of certain antibiotics deemed critical to human health has surged on British pig farms supplying major supermarkets, prompting fresh concerns about the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Story here.

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Global Call Goes Out to End Destruction of Canada's Ancient Forests

Common Dreams

Old growth forest in BC. Photo by Nadine Reynolds.

More than 100 prominent individuals throughout Canadian society, along with a handful of international supporters, urged British Columbia Premier John Horgan on Friday to fulfill his campaign pledge to immediately protect the region's imperiled old-growth forests, which continue to be logged despite scientific warnings against further destruction. Story here.

Most rivers in the world run dry -- now and then

Science Daily

It's not uncommon for the Oak River, which flows through southwestern
Manitoba, CA., to stop flowing at this control dam. A PinP photo.

A new study found that between 51-60% of the 64 million kilometres of rivers and streams on Earth that they investigated stop flowing periodically, or run dry for part of the year. It is the first-ever empirically grounded effort to quantify the global distribution of non-perennial rivers and streams. The research, which was published today in Nature, calls for a paradigm shift in river science and management. Story here/

World May Already Have Hit Arctic 'Tipping Point'; Scientist.

Common Dreams

In summer, some polar bears do not make the transition from their winter residence on the Svalbard islands to the dense drift and pack ice of the high arctic, where they would find a plethora of prey. This is due to global climate change which causes the ice around the islands to melt much earlier than previously. The bears need to adapt from their proper food to a diet of detritus, small animals, bird eggs and carcasses of marine animals. Very often they suffer starvation and are doomed to die. The number of these starving animals is sadly increasing. A Wickimedia Commons photo.

'Urgent' action is needed, atmospheric scientist Markus Rex said. 

Story here.

Hog Barn Saturation.

The following letter by Jon Crowson appeared recently in the Empire Advance, a weekly newspaper in Virden, Manitoba. It's his response to an article which appeared earlier in the same paper (see bottom).

Hog Barn Saturation.

Thanks for the primer on the provinces hog industry (Empire Advance, June 4, 2021). Frankly I’m not sure I really needed one.

This map, from the industry itself, shows hog barn locations as they were
n 2007. How many are enough?

When the big guns from Manitoba Pork seek a meeting with council (even if they don’t have to leave their own boardroom to do it), one can’t help but be suspicious about their motives. Could it be that recent decisions, such as Cartwright-Roblin council to reject a new barn proposal, has got them worried? Worried that the tide is turning against the takeover of our rural areas by “Big Pork”.

When it comes to new factory hog barn proposals the concerns of nearby residents cover the gamut from the stink (sufficient to breech the International Treaty on Chemical Warfare), to ground and surface water pollution, to air pollution involving some serious greenhouse gases, to huge amounts of water consumed, to health concerns, to the noise from barn fans, to loss in property values. Then there are all the ethical and animal welfare issues around raising animals in confinement, never to see the light of day, with an almost certain death sentence in the event of a fire.

Artist's rendering by John Fefchak.

We should not be surprised that the Cartwright-Roblin council rejected the proposal by the wholly foreign owned HyLife Corporation for an 18,000 weanling hog operation. The willingness of certain other councils to approve such applications, and in so doing throw some of their own residents under the bus, is nothing short of shameful. There is a safeguard in our Planning Act, with guidance to councils, (Section 106(1) Re: “Decision”) which indicates that you might consider approving the application only if it: “(b)(ii) will not be detrimental to the health or general welfare of people living or working in the surrounding area, or negatively affect other properties or potential development in the surrounding area”. If that clause were taken seriously, it’s difficult to understand how any of these factory hog barns gets approved. I have had the dubious privilege of living with a factory hog barn as an upwind neighbour for a good many years now, and can assure you that it absolutely does not pass that test.

The Pallister government in its headlong rush to enable unfettered factory hog barn expansion has tossed out many of the protections to the environment that were formerly in place, in the guise of “red tape reductions” as well as lowering the construction standards for barns. This will doubtless come back to haunt us in years to come as the impacts of this pollution are compounded. Let’s face it the provinces Technical Review Committee, which is supposed to thoroughly vet applications for new barns, is now little more than a rubber stamp in favour of the barn proponent. As a result of Bill 19 we now also face the spectre of a barn developer appealing a council rejection to the Municipal Board, an un-elected body hand picked from the party faithful, to do the bidding of the current government and overrule the duly elected local council. There is a very bad smell associated with that prospect also.

Mr. Dahl talks about growth in the hog industry. I recall my old and wise “Economics 101” prof reminding us students never to confuse the terms “economic growth” with “economic development”.

Growth being an increase in wealth (usually in the hands of the few), and development being increased prosperity and quality of life for all residents. Councils would do well to ponder the difference.

Significant portions of our rural areas are becoming unlivable due to the proliferation of factory hog barns. How many more do we need, and what kind of mess are we creating for future generations?

Jon Crowson. Hamiota.

=====

A primer on the province’s hog industry

Lindsay White / Virden Empire-Advance June 4, 2021 12:35 AM

Cam Dahl, General Manager of Manitoba Pork, and Manager of Planning and Sustainable Development Grant Melnychuk reached out virtually to R.M. of Wallace-Woodworth Councillors to share information regarding the current state of the province’s hog production and processing industries. Their organization represents the more than 600 commercial hog producers in Manitoba.

“Really, what we’re here to do is start a dialogue,” Dahl said. “We want to talk about some of the benefits of and concerns about the industry. This isn't related to any specific projects. We're not aware of any specific projects that might be in the works.”

Appearing as a delegation at the May 27 meeting, Dahl and Melnychuk provided Council with a variety of facts and figures supporting the hog industry’s strong contribution to the provincial economy. It involves about 14,000 direct and indirect jobs, and approximately $1.7 billion annually. With over 600 barns, Manitoba stands behind Quebec as the second largest producer in the country. Product is currently exported to over 24 countries.

Since the lifting of a provincial moratorium on hog industry expansion in 2017, over $100 million in private investment has been approved across the province. Both executives see opportunity for significant growth in the post-pandemic economy, which could have major spinoff benefits in rural Manitoba.

“There's opportunities, for growth, there's benefits to growth, but we appreciate that when new barn proposals are made that municipalities have questions and the general public will often raise concerns,” Melnychuk said. They include odour control, manure management and the impact of a barn operation on ground water and the values of neighbouring properties. Melnychuk told councillors that efforts are made to mitigate each of these issues and indicated that Manitoba Pork encourages proponents of new hog barns to have informed discussions with their respective municipal councils prior to the application process taking place.

Dahl told Council that the province has some of the strictest environmental standards for hog operations on the continent, and operators must be part of a universal code of practice in order to ship their animals to federally inspected processing plants.

“There are regulations in place and significant industry standards enforced through auditing. If you’re not participating in the program, you cannot deliver your pigs,” he said. He added that operators also need to be able to demonstrate their ability to sustainably take care of manure.

During the discussion, Coun. Barb Stambuski questioned whether planting of a three-row shelterbelt on each site was being enforced. “We have been hearing about it for 20 plus years,” she said. “We haven't seen a good shelterbelt in our area – yet.” She also pointed to lacklustre maintenance of what was already in place. “There have been huge holes, and nothing has been done.”

“That's one of the things we will take back to our members,” Dahl responded. “It's not just the development plan but the ongoing maintenance of that development plan as well.”

On the subject of water, Coun. Stambuski explained that as the municipal system is nearing capacity, any new barns are not likely to be allowed to hook up. Melnychuk stressed that the presence of

adequate water, either from a nearby ground or municipal treated source, is a critical part of the application and review process which proponents need to address.

“Where there is treated water and capacity, barns do access it,” he said. “In others, they will utilize ground water if there is a suitable source that can be found. If it (the municipal system) is nearing capacity and there is no potential for expansion, that would certainly be a limiting factor of new barns siting in your location. If there is potential for expansion, and a new hog facility could contribute in that manner, then that could be considered as well.”

Coun. Stambuski asked about compensation for those experiencing an estimated -5% reduction in their property value due to the proximity of a barn operation.

“That would be part of the siting process,” Dahl said. “We would hope that when they're doing their site selection, they're not going to choose an area where there's neighbours within that 2 km area. If they do, I'd be surprised if you approve it, quite frankly.”

“Separation distance is key, and it’s one of the first things I flag,” Melnychuk said. He said that it is imperative that proponents satisfy the requirements of the municipal zoning by-law in considering where to develop. “If they're not meeting the setbacks of your municipal zoning by-law, I would caution them from even pursuing it,” he said.

Dahl and Melnychuk plan to meet with other municipal councils to apprise them of the latest happenings in their industry.

“Our goal is to reach out across the province and have these conversations where there might be potential for development,” he concluded. 

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The conversion of forests into agriculture has been flagged as one of the major causes of deforestation. A PinP photo.

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Climate warming to increase carbon loss in Canadian peatland by 103 per cent

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A "zombie" (peat) fire in the Arctic. Photo by Western Arctic National Parklands.

 

Carbon loss in Canadian peatland is projected to increase by 103 percent under a high emission scenario, according to new research led by scientists from the University of Waterloo. Story here.

Lake habitats are disappearing as the climate changes

Leibniz 

Forschungsverbund

Berlin .V.

A PinP photo.

Global warming is increasing the temperatures of lakes worldwide – are species finding the temperatures they need to survive? Details here.

Takin’ it to the bank

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Trouble’s brewing for RBC. Canada’s climate movement is converging on the bank as its common target for pressure campaigns. Details here.

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After Big Oil's very bad week, the message for Alberta is clear.

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Oil pipe sits on a railway siding in SW Manitoba. A PinP photo.

If Alberta’s policy-makers don’t plan for a managed fossil fuel decline, financial and other institutions will make the decision for them.  Story here.

World’s soils ‘under great pressure’, says UN pollution report

The Guardian

A  seeder at work in Manitoba, CA. A PinP photo.

Soils provide 95% of all food but are damaged by industrial, farming, mining and urban pollution. 

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Serious declines in oxygen levels are recorded in the world's temperate lakes.

Nature

Clear Lake, Manitoba, CA. A PinP photo.

Widespread, long-term declines in temperate lake oxygen levels have been reported in Nature this week. This trend, calculated for nearly 400 lakes within an 80-year period, may be linked to warming temperatures and decreasing water clarity. The declines could threaten essential lake ecosystems.

The concentration of dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems can affect the balance of nutrients, biodiversity, the quality of drinking water and greenhouse gas emissions. While oxygen loss in oceans has been documented, the changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes are less well understood, in part owing to a lack of long-term and large-scale studies.

Kevin Rose and authors measured temperature and dissolved oxygen levels for almost 400 lakes (mostly in Europe and the United States) between 1941 and 2017. Declines in dissolved oxygen are up to nine times greater than those observed in the oceans. 

Increased water temperatures are associated with reduced oxygen concentration in surface waters. And lower oxygen levels in deeper waters are linked to the formation of distinct thermal layers at different depths, along with reduced water clarity.  

There were some exceptions to these trends; for example, a large subset of 87 lakes exhibited increases in both water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration. However, this anomaly could be attributed to algal blooms, which may increase concentrations at the surface, but reduce oxygen solubility lower down.

Human activity and warming temperatures are expected to continue to drive future losses in lake dissolved oxygen. 

As the authors conclude, ongoing, rigorous efforts will be needed to counter these effects.

The Fate of the Canadian Rockies May Rest on This Decision

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                                Bighorn country, eastern slopes, AB. Photo by Aerin Jacob

Approving the Grassy Mountain Coal Project will surely spell nothing less than the industrialization of Alberta’s sensitive eastern slopes. Story here.

Bees are dying from toxic chemicals and the feds won't save them.

The National Observer

A PinP photo.

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A serious disease of Chinook salmon, originating from fish farms in Norway, has now spread to wild salmon off the coast of BC: Study.

University of British Columbia

The Chinook salmon. Photo by Zureks.

The virus known as PRV, is associated with kidney and liver damage in Chinook salmon.  A new study in Science Advances shows -- it's continually being transmitted between open-net salmon farms and wild juvenile Chinook salmon in British Columbia waters.

The study traces its origins to Atlantic salmon farms in Norway and finds that the virus is now almost ubiquitous in salmon farms in B.C.

It also shows that wild Chinook salmon are more likely to be infected with PRV the closer they are to salmon farms, which suggests farms transfer the virus to wild salmon.

Genome sequencing of viruses from farms and wild fish further indicates that transmission occurs between farms and wild salmon.

"Both our genomic and epidemiological methods independently came to the same conclusion, that salmon farms act as a source and amplifier of PRV transmission," said Dr. Gideon Mordecai, a viral ecologist and Liber Ero fellow with UBC Science and researcher with UBC Medicine, who led the study. "Because separate lines of independent evidence all point to the same answer, we're confident in our finding."

Sequencing of 86 PRV genomes helped researchers track the history of PRV emergence in British Columbia. They estimate that the lineage of PRV in the North East Pacific diverged from PRV in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 30 years ago. This suggests that the introduction of PRV to B.C. and infection of wild Pacific salmon is a relatively recent phenomenon, coincident with the growth of salmon aquaculture in the province -- not dating back to early attempts to introduce Atlantic salmon to the region, starting in 1874.

"There is much confusion about where PRV is originally from, whether it is transmitted between farmed and wild salmon, and how different lineages of the virus cause different severities of disease," said Dr. Mordecai. "This study's genome sequencing clearly indicates PRV is not native to B.C. waters -- it originated in the Atlantic Ocean and has been spread around the world through salmon aquaculture."

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The study highlights the role of aquaculture in introducing novel pathogens to new regions, where they then spread to wild fish, and integrates the expertise of the two senior authors, Dr. Kristi Miller, a DFO scientist and Professor Jeffrey Joy, a UBC evolutionary geneticist. It demonstrates the value of genomics in the surveillance of viral pathogens affecting important fisheries resources and how analytical methods derived from the epidemiology of human viruses can be adapted and applied to conserving wild salmon populations.

Further analysis of PRV genomes generated by the study suggested that there has been a growth in the number of PRV infections in B.C. over recent decades. This finding corresponds with the regional growth in salmon aquaculture and high rates of viral infection in salmon farms.

"Our finding that PRV is transmitted between farmed and wild salmon is particularly relevant given recent field and laboratory studies showing the lineage of PRV in B.C. is likely to cause disease in both Pacific and Atlantic salmon" says Dr. Mordecai. A recent Norwegian study found that a Canadian isolate of the virus causes heart lesions in Atlantic salmon. More importantly to the Pacific ecosystem, PRV has been associated with a different disease in Chinook salmon in which blood cells rupture, leading to kidney and liver damage. These are in contrast to the DFO's assessment that PRV is not a disease agent.

"Our study reaffirms that a more precautionary approach to managing salmon farming in BC is warranted," says study co-author Dr. Andrew Bateman, of the Pacific Salmon Foundation. "The PRV findings, in particular, support calls to transition from open-net salmon farming towards farming technology that doesn't allow disease transfer between farmed and wild salmon, protecting BC's wild Pacific salmon from serious risk in the process."

"The study provides foundational information necessary to assess the risk of salmon aquaculture on wild fish, as recommended by the Auditor General of Canada's 2018 Report on Salmon Farming, which criticized DFO's ability to manage aquaculture in a precautionary manner," says Professor Jeffrey Hutchings of Dalhousie University, a leading Canadian fisheries scientist who was not involved with the research. "The work by Mordecai, Miller, and colleagues on PRV provides the most compelling, scientifically objective evidence to date that wild salmon in BC are at increased risk of disease because of open net-pen Atlantic salmon aquaculture," adds Professor Hutchings.

 The collaborative study included UBC. and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Advocates protest Manitoba's proposed 'ag-gag' bill which outlaws feeding animals during transport

CBC News

Millions of sows like this spend much of their lives in tiny torture chambers, euphemistically called "gestation crates." A Mercy for Animals photo.

Province says law addresses biosecurity concerns, but animal rights lawyer disputes that claim. Story here.

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Air pollution from farms leads to 17,900 U.S. deaths per year, study finds

 The Washington Post

A lagoon waste management system for a 900 head hog farm in Georgia. 

Photo by Jeff Vanuga, USDA

The first-of-its-kind report pinpoints meat production as the leading source of deadly pollution. Story here.