(ThamKC/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. biofuels proposal would lift near-term greenhouse gas emissions

EPA says reductions would only come in the long term

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to increase biofuel blending mandates through 2025 would lead to a near-term increase in greenhouse gas emissions, before yielding reductions in the longer term, according to agency documents. The Renewable Fuel Standard requires the nation’s oil refiners to add billions of gallons of biofuels like corn-based ethanol into the fuel pool each

UK farmer Stephen Briggs says adding trees to his landscape has built his farm’s resilience.

How mixing farms with forests can help nations reach net zero

Planting trees on working farms can curb emissions, boost income but money and time are barriers

Thomson Reuters Foundation – Stephen Briggs popped open his pocket knife, carved a wedge from a small pink and green apple and took a bite. “Those are ready,” he said, looking at a nearby apple tree, one of 4,500 planted in neat rows through wheat fields on his farm near Peterborough, in eastern England. The


New Zealand farmers to face livestock emissions charges

Reuters – The New Zealand government has confirmed plans to separately price agricultural long-lived gases and biogenic methane that mainly comes from cow and sheep burps, in a plan that concerns farm groups. The government recently released its proposed plan on agricultural emissions pricing, which when introduced in 2025 will make New Zealand, a large

Guest Editorial: A carrot with a consequence

Glacier FarmMedia – In response to the backlash it has been receiving from farmers and industry over its nitrous oxide (NO2) emissions target, the federal government was quick to reiterate that it is a goal, not a mandate. However, whether this is an achievable goal is still up for debate. By setting a goal, the

“I was personally interested to quantify the concerns I had seen anecdotally in the farm press and elsewhere.” – Greg Dunlop, iFusion.

Fertilizer emissions view split on party lines: survey

Farmers generally pessimistic, distrustful of government’s emissions target

Farmers who vote Liberal or NDP are far more likely to think the federal fertilizer emissions reduction target is feasible than farmers who vote Conservative, a recent survey indicates. That meant the majority of survey respondents were pessimistic about the government’s goals, as 77 per cent said they’d vote Conservative. In an Aug. 29 survey,


The federal government’s twin goals of growing agriculture exports and reducing fertilizer emissions seem to be at odds.

Farmers and industry say government’s emissions plans at odds with export goals

Groups ask for goals to be based on emissions per bushel but this may not reduce emissions long-term

The federal government’s goal to reduce emissions from nitrogen fertilizer is at odds with plans to increase agricultural exports by 55 per cent, say agriculture and fertilizer groups. “This 55 [per cent] increase is attainable; however, it is unlikely to be achieved by the shackling of grain, pulse and oilseed farmers through the reduced use

“The experts in this field know that it’s an absolute hairball to measure accurately.” – Don Flaten

Examining the burning nitrogen questions

If you’re confused about nitrogen emissions, you’re not alone. How can the non-scientists among us cut through the noise?

After weeks of fury over federal nitrogen emission targets, the waters are muddy at best. Everyone has their own take and, as I’ve learned in my short reporting career, everyone has data to back up their view, no matter how obscure. I can’t be the only one neck deep in position papers, scientific studies and

Grain groups call for intensity goals, not absolute emissions

The two groups call for support for 4R nutrient management practices in submissions to the federal government

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers and Grain Growers of Canada are calling for the federal government to drop its goal of a 30 per cent reduction in fertilizer emissions in favour of an ‘intensity’ based goal. “With the threat of global food insecurity, we must develop an approach that aligns the imminent need for increased


NFU calls for agriculture to ‘scale back’ nitrogen use, export goals

NFU calls for agriculture to ‘scale back’ nitrogen use, export goals

System transformation, not tweaking, is needed to mitigate climate change, says new report

EMISSIONS System transformation, not tweaking, is needed to mitigate climate change, says new report

Pushing for higher yields and greater exports each year will lead to greater nitrogen greenhouse gas emissions, even if greater efficiency is achieved, says a new report from the National Farmers Union (NFU). “If we do not scale back… if we pretend instead that tweaking our nitrogen-use practices can solve the problem, we may make

(Alexey Rezvykh/iStock/Getty Images)

Editor’s Take: Simmer down

It’s time for everyone to step back, take a deep breath, and tone down the rhetoric around the issue of fertilizer emissions. Because right now it’s being over-politicized, under-scrutinized and devoid of any rational examination. Here’s what we know so far. The federal government wants to see farmers reduce emissions from fertilizer by 30 per