About Climate Change

Climate change has existed since the start of time. Changing weather patterns, solar flares, shifts in the earth’s orbit, volcano eruptions and forest fires are just some of the factors that impact climate change. Farmers are amongst the first to feel the impacts of climate change. Farmers have also been on the cutting edge of environmental protection through the continual adoption of modern agriculture farming techniques.

The Issues

Farmers should be recognized for the positive way they treat the land they work on. For many generations, farmers are strong stewards of their land, in order to ensure they can continue to grow safe, healthy food in an environmentally sustainable way, and ensure sustainability for the next generation.

Farmers should be recognized for the huge carbon sequestering that takes place through modern agriculture techniques, not penalized through a carbon tax.

Farmers have been leaders with many environmentally friendly practices – no-till planting, fewer and targeted crop inputs, better water management and fuel-efficient equipment are all steps that we have implemented for years.

Our Position

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association believes that the climate does change and that individual farmers will have different views on this topic. While this is a controversial topic for many, all decisions should be made from a science/fact-based perspective.

We need to differentiate between climate change and weather patterns or different forms of air, water or soil pollution. We are able to grow more on the same or less land, with lowered inputs.

Canadian farmers make a huge contribution to feeding the world. Farms need to maintain profitability in order to continually reinvest in environmentally friendly technology.

Modern Canadian grain farmers are early adopters of the latest technology, ensuring long-term environmental stability. Farmers maintain a climate balance through the high levels of carbon-sequestering used in the production of sustainable, high-quality food used both domestically and exported internationally.

Modern agriculture is part of the solution through carbon sequestering, low-till farming, better water management, more efficient equipment and crop-protection techniques. For example:

• Grain crops take in carbon as a part of their natural growth and retain it in the soil organic matter.
• Pulse plants reduce the reliance on nitrogen fertilizer through a natural symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria drawing in atmospheric nitrogen, which is trapped in nodules on the plant roots, naturally feeding the plant.