Belching Bovines More Climate Friendly Than Thought

Australia’s huge cattle herd in the north might be burping less planet-warming methane emissions than thought, said a study released on May 27, suggesting the cows are more climate friendly. Cattle, sheep and other ruminant livestock produce large amounts of methane, which is about 20 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. One

Mexican Gangs Go After New Target: High-Priced Corn

Organized crime gangs equipped with automatic weapons and tractor trailers are branching out into raids on huge grain silos, in a sign of growing lawlessness in parts of Mexico’s north. Attacks on warehouses and cargo trucks have multiplied into a near-weekly affair in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, where one of the worst cold snaps


Researchers Peg GHG Value Of Wetlands

Farmers who switch to zero tillage may brag about sequestering climate-altering carbon in their soil. But if they also drain a few swamps on their land, they’re just spewing hot air – or rather, greenhouse gases. That’s called “leakage” in the carbon credit market: the taking on of one agricultural practice to offset greenhouse gas

Australian Farmers Key To Climate Change Fight

Australian farmers could be major winners from plans to put a price on carbon emissions, particularly as other countries also move to curb greenhouse gas pollution, the nation’s top climate adviser Ross Garnaut said March 1. In a report on how carbon markets will impact on rural land use, Garnaut said farmers had a key


Perennial Crops Key To GHG-Neutral Crop Production

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is more than a public service – it can save farmers money, a soil scientist with the University of Manitoba says. Mario Tenuta says farmers don’t seem worried about the greenhouse gases (GHGs) they produce while growing food, despite the link with climate change. But farmers can benefit from reducing emissions

Carbon Credit Market In Doubt

With almost no fanfare, Saskatchewan has passed a new greenhouse gas bill that should theoretically provide a mechanism for farmers to be paid for carbon credits. However, the devil will be in the details and the regulations for the bill have yet to be established. Observers worry that when the dust clears, farmers will not


U. S. Farm Group: Stop EPA On Greenhouse Gases

“They don’t have enough lipstick to put on that pig (climate legislation) to make it look good.” – MISSOURI FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT CHARLES KRUSE The largest U. S. farm group called on Congress Jan. 12 to prevent the government from regulating greenhouse gases if lawmakers kill climate change legislation. The six-million-member American Farm Bureau Federation

New Programs Deliver More Dollars To Fewer Producers

We do have to realize that with a smaller amount of total program funding, larger funding percentages for projects, an increasing number of producers eligible, and focused priorities, the opportunity for funding has decreased. With the delivery of Growing Forward in 2009, producers saw major changes to Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) programming. Some of the


Provincial programs offer value for carbon

We welcome readers’comments on issues that have been covered in the Manitoba Co-operator. In most cases we cannot accept “open” letters or copies of letters which have been sent to several publications. Letters are subject to editing for length or taste. We suggest a maximum of about 300 words. I am responding to Brian Sterling’s

Who Owns The Carbon Credits?

Keystone Agricultural Producers has received numerous phone calls since the announcement regarding beneficial management practices (BMPs) under the Environmental Farm Action Program (EFAP) and Manitoba Sustainable Agriculture Practices Program (MSAPP) Sept. 2, 2009. The calls were regarding confusion about who owns the project-related carbon credits. The application form states that carbon offsets (if any) achieved