Blain Hjertaas (l) presents on carbon sequestration and regenerative agriculture March 21 in Brandon.

Carbon taxes should be like income taxes — with credits

Diverse management systems are the key to putting more carbon back into the soil, 
and possibly more money into farmers’ wallets

Blain Hjertaas says that if you tax use, you should reward storage. “I believe that if we, as a society, are going to value carbon and tax carbon as a bad behaviour… then we need to reward those who solve the problem and take the carbon from up here and put it back into the

Altona farmer Danny Penner (r) Somerset farmer Gerry Demare and 
Emerson MLA Cliff Graydon.

Carbon tax effects could undermine rural support for PCs

Somerset farmer Gerry Demare proposes farmers pay the tax on inputs 
if they get the money back like they do with the GST

Manitoba’s coming carbon tax must not hurt farmers or the governing Progressive Conservatives (PC) could face a new right-wing party next election. Local farmer and PC supporter Danny Penner delivered that blunt message to Emerson MLA Cliff Graydon here at a carbon tax meeting March 30. “I am disappointed in Brian Pallister and his government,”


Altona farmer and Progressive Conservative supporter Danny Penner is rallying other Conservatives to push the government to make changes Conservatives voted for in the election last year.

Disgruntled Progressive Conservatives voters take to social media

It’s not just a carbon tax that irks Danny Penner about the current Progressive Conservative government. Penner, who farms near Altona, is unhappy the government elected a year ago after almost 17 years of NDP rule, hasn’t removed education taxes on farmland and property. Read more: Carbon tax effects could undermine rural support for PCs Many

Manitoba Beef Producers releases carbon pricing policy

Manitoba Beef Producers releases carbon pricing policy

The beef industry is part of the solution and must not have punitive 
profit-killing measures enacted, says MBP

Manitoba Beef Producers is proposing a carbon pricing policy centred around recognizing its sector as part of the solution. Pastures and grassland play a key role in carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction, the organization said. “We believe we have a valuable role to play in helping Manitoba achieve its goal of reducing GHGs,” said


Government grilled on Agriculture Day

Most of the responses included little new information offered up in the heat of the debate

Opposition senators and MPs celebrated Canada’s Agriculture Day Feb. 16 by grilling the government on farm policy but reaped little for their efforts. However, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay rebounded Conservative Farm Critic David Anderson’s call for a return to farmers of a $100-million surplus the Canadian Grain Commission racked up in recent years. It was

Dan Mazier is president of Keystone Agricultural Producers.

A seat at the table

KAP isn’t calling for a carbon tax, it’s recognizing one is coming

A carbon tax is coming — that has been made perfectly clear by the federal government. However, instead of waiting for a tax to be placed on us by Ottawa, the Manitoba government has opted to develop a made-in-Manitoba solution — something that’s in the works now. During this development process, KAP is striving to


Dan Mazier speaks at KAP’s AGM.

Carbon pricing focus of KAP resolutions

Carbon pricing continues to generate debate as Canada moves closer to climate change deadline

Carbon pricing is coming, but Manitoba producers are still trying to suss out exactly what that will mean for their farms. At Keystone Agricultural Producers’ annual general meeting in Winnipeg last week, three resolutions were put forward on the issue, including one asking for clarification on the organization’s position on the carbon pricing. That resolution

KAP asks for exemption of on-farm emissions

KAP asks for exemption of on-farm emissions

Carbon pricing remains a heated topic of debate as Manitoba 
moves towards revealing a climate change strategy

While Manitoba has yet to join other provinces in signing on to a national climate change framework, Keystone Agricultural Producers has prepared its own proposal for implementing carbon pricing. “We hope we have a solution here that will bring producers in as part of the effort to tackle climate change, but do it in a


Ottawa needs to get serious about encouraging renewable fuels

Ottawa needs to get serious about encouraging renewable fuels

A constantly churning industry with various provincial standards 
isn’t a good foundation for growth, proponents say

If the federal government wants to see renewable fuels attracting investment and growing, it needs to set a national standard and provide stability. That’s according to Warren Mabee, public policy professor at Queen’s University, speaking at the Renewable Fuels Canada Forum, held recently in Ottawa. Sticking with the existing provincial standards means every province goes