Climate-Smart Practices Commonplace on Today’s Farms

Oct 18, 2024

Farmers and ranchers are leading the way in climate-smart practices that reduce emissions, enrich the soil and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before. In fact, U.S. agriculture would have needed nearly 100 million more acres in 1990 to match current production levels.

This is due in large part to U.S. farmers proactively managing and preserving soil by planting more cover crops, increasing conservation tillage and expanding use of no-till methods. These practices help conserve soil while preserving and increasing nutrients and improving water quality. They also trap excess carbon in the soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

More broadly, sustainable soil use and resource conservation efforts increased by 41 million acres in 10 years. And an impressive 20% of all U.S. farmland is used for conservation and wildlife habitat.

Let’s “dig in” to some of these concepts.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?