Why GMOs aren't bad but will still poison you with glyphosate (Roundup) and how they get past government regulations in Canada and the USA. Also learn what the mega agro corporations are doing to small farmers regarding seed. In a Nutshell's 'Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering & Our Food'.
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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PEMBINA
INSTITUTE
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| A power pylon wrecked by severe weather. A Manitoba Hydro photo. |
by Don Sullivan - Canadian Dimension
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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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THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
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| 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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Common Dreams
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| 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.
Science Daily
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| 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/
