Sustainability in Field Crops
October 16, 2017
The Serecon team has for many years been involved in numerous initiatives aimed at maintaining and improving the sustainability of agriculture. Once harvest wraps up, stakeholders across crop production value chains again start congregating to discuss and support efforts at continuous improvement in agricultural sustainability. Serecon will be participating in many of those events.
Canadian Field Print Initiative
By working with a diverse group of stakeholders and with the support of Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, the Canadian Field Print Initiative has developed quantitative indicators to accurately reflect sustainability outcomes of field-level activities. These indicators model the environmental impact of farm operations, including:
- Land use efficiency
- Soil erosion risk
- Energy use
- Climate impact
- Soil carbon release
The Canadian Field Print Calculator has been used in pilot project workshops to establish regional benchmarks for production of several crops in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan over the past three years, through the efforts of partners such as General Mills, Paterson Grain, Cargill, and the Grain Farmers of Ontario. It has recently also been used to support sustainability efforts of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, as outlined in this video.
The Canadian Field Print Initiative will be holding its fall in-person meeting in Ottawa on November 1, 2017. For more details or if you would be interested in participating, please contact Angela Pearson at (780) 448-7440.
National Environment Farm Plan Summit
Fostered by the success of the 2016 National EFP Summit in Ottawa, stakeholders from farm to fork have formed an NEFP steering committee and are now working together to harmonize the provincial and territorial EFP programs from coast-to-coast as a producer-driven national standard. The 2017 summit will be held in Ottawa on November 1-2, 2017 and is an opportunity to bring stakeholders together once again to learn about the progress so far and participate in valuable conversations that will further guide the national harmonization effort.
Serecon is proud to support this environmental stewardship and farming sustainability event. Markus Weber will be attending the NEFP Summit and can be reached at (780) 448-7445.
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC) was formed in 2013 to facilitate cross-commodity collaboration on sustainable agriculture issues and opportunities facing grains sector participants. Comprised of grower, industry, customer and consumer organizations, the CRSC is a national, industry-led forum engaging value chain stakeholders in assessing and responding to marketplace demands, and showcasing Canada’s performance, in the area of agriculture sustainability.
There are many other sustainability initiatives active in Canada. The CRSC’s efforts are not intended to duplicate these projects; but rather to incorporate or interface as much as possible with those that are compatible with the CRSC’s objectives and deliverables.
Bob Burden and Angela Pearson will be attending an upcoming CRSC meeting in Winnipeg on November 23, 2017. To find out more about Serecon's work in sustainability, contact Markus Weber or Angela Pearson at (780) 448-7440.