The contributions from cow-calf forage production to emissions reductions in Saskatchewan
Many nations are facing policy issues and challenges which include environmental sustainability, the mitigation of climate change, and agricultural systems. International agreements like the Paris Agreement are targeting significant changes in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change impacts. These agreements generate domestic policy initiatives to incentivize behavioural changes amongst farmers, food companies, and society for environmental betterment. The adoption of innovative agricultural methods and technologies is essential to achieving these goals. Forage production is often cited as a method to reduce emissions and improve soil health; however, the amount of land dedicated to forage production in Saskatchewan has been rapidly shrinking. In response to policy initiatives targeted at industries such as agriculture, producers are adopting innovative methods and technologies to provide environmental services and mitigate emissions.
The Issue of Cattle
Greenhouse gas emissions arising from livestock production contribute to a damaging narrative surrounding agriculture, particularly beef production. Claims made in a 2006 United Nations publication cited global beef production as producing 18% of global emissions, which is more than transportation. These claims were soon retracted as the UN admitted their calculations were biased against the livestock industry. More recent estimates analysing the developed and efficiency-focused beef sectors of North America place beef cattle emissions estimates at 2.4% of direct emissions in Canada. Of this 2.4%, feed production was said to account for 40% of it. This figure fails to recognize the role of feed production in carbon sequestration. This is what led to the focus of my master’s thesis research, which was to better understand the relationship between forage production, carbon sequestration, beef production, and net GHG emissions.
The Research
The purpose of the study was three-fold: first, to quantify net emissions; second, to examine changes in forage practices; and third, to estimate the economic outcomes of forage production in Saskatchewan’s cow-calf sector. To do so, the Saskatchewan Forage Production Survey was developed to gather data on forage management practices, emphasizing land use and land management changes between 1991-94 and 2016-19. In essence, cow-calf producers were asked to detail every step of production in growing, maintaining, and harvesting a forage crop. Agriculture and Agri-food Canada’s whole-farm assessment model, Holos, was applied as a carbon accounting framework to derive the net emissions of the forage production cycle.
Changes in production practice were analysed at the aggregate level and the findings displayed substantial changes in forage management between periods of study. As shown in Table 1, significant reductions in fall fertilizer application were seen despite an overall increase in the number of hectares receiving fertilizer. Additionally, increases in the proportion of hectares planted to legumes and perennial species were shown to increase carbon sequestration potential. This combination of increased fertilizer use and improved fertilizer timing served to increase the yield of crops planted while decreasing the emissions intensity of the forage.
Table 1. Changes in forage production practice between 1991-94 and 2016-19
Forage Production is Meeting Policy Needs
Based on forage producers’ responses from Saskatchewan, the calculated emissions showed net sequestration of 123 Kg CO2e per hectare per annum occurred from 2016-19, rather than emitting. The 2016-19 period a marked improvement from 1991-94 by 117 Kg C02e per hectare. Saskatchewan’s surveyed forage production is sequestering more carbon in the soil than it is emitting. This is accounting for both nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions, which are leading GHG emissions.
This implies that in Saskatchewan, emissions are much less than even 2.4% of total emissions nationally when net emissions are considered. A key distinguishing characteristic of agriculture relative to other emitting industries is producers can directly offset production emissions through soil carbon storage. These results indicate that forage production emissions are sequestered faster than they are produced. As such, over 40% of the gross emissions figure can be eliminated simply through proper forage management. For beef producers, take pride in the work you are doing and have done to decrease the emissions intensity of Canadian beef. Consumers, when you purchase Canadian beef, take pride in knowing you are supporting an industry that is critical to the maintenance and improvement of the Canadian landscape.