Canada’s proposed fertilizer emissions reduction target questioned

Aug 18, 2022

MELFORT, Sask. — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has announced the launch of additional consultations to guide the development of an approach to reduce fertilizer emissions by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030.

AAFC Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has said while the federal government wants to reduce emissions by the end of the decade it doesn’t mean Ottawa wants to see a 30 per cent reduction in the actual amount of fertilizer used on the land.

A well-know entrepreneur and agrologist is unsure about Ottawa’s final plan.

Rob Saik said the trust level between the Trudeau government and Western Canadian farmers is strained.

“Where did the 30 per cent number come from? I would like to know where the hell the number came from. Why not 25 per cent why not 20. Where did the number come from?” Saik said.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.