b"robust data on exactly how much carbontargets, because of that massive potentialwithout any kind of offset, the adoption is removed or sequestered, based on thatfor carbon sequestration in our soils. Sorates increased over time. And that was practice.there's potentially a revenue generationnot an insignificant change that a lot of But with ag and these practices in agoption there if we can figure out thatproducers made when they went to a being so varied, and spatially and tempo- way to quantify carbon sequestrationconservation tillage system, because rally variable, the process to get robustand quantify how we can monetize that,there's capital investment requirements in data when it's that variably will requirethere's potential revenue for Canadian ag.terms of new equipment. There's a lot of hundreds, if not thousands of differentI crunched the numbers at a really highunknowns around agronomic information studies. There aren't enough researcherslevel . based on some modeling and pro- like seeding rates and weed management or research dollars on the planet, in myjections, the ag industry has the potentialand trash management, and there's a lot opinion, to actually scientifically robustlyto sequester or avoid up to 88 millionof unknown, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of quantify carbon reduction for every singletons of carbon dioxide per year, just byrisk, and a lot of upfront costs. And yet, practice, or technology that could beadopting alternative practices related tothat practice was still adopted over time, deployed in agriculture. nitrogen management and soil tillage andand is now the majority, I think of how other established practices. Like 88 mil- farmers manage in Western Canada. ASG: The government has announcedlion tons of carbon dioxide sequesteredSo that example, illustrates the fact a lot of different programs toor avoided over and above our currentthat if there is a long term environmental incentivize different environmentalstate, if we were able to monetize thator soil health gain to be made, then it practices lately. When you look atand figure out a way to do carbon offsetsis feasible. The challenges though, that some of these announcements, door credits in a way that works for ag atwe're now working on a compressed you feel there is an idea of a bettersay $50 per ton of carbon dioxide, that'stimeframe. If you look at adoption rates way forward for ag? almost $4.4 billion per year in theoreticalof conservation tillage, it took 30 plus JA: Honestly, my answer to his questionrevenue to the ag industry. If we can figureyears to reach 60% adoption of conserva-would have been different a week ago. Butout a way to make offsets work, there is ation tillage. With the government's new literally less than a week ago, there wassignificant revenue opportunity there.emission reduction targets, we're basi-the announcement from Minister BibeauBut there's also the added benefit, orcally having to cut our emissions in half, (Canadian Member of Parliament) that theybonus of most of these practices, if notas a country not just the ag emissions, we were, I can't remember how many dollars,all of these practices, that reduce emis- have to cut our emissions in half within it was like CAN$200 million, was beingsions or boost sequestration, also resultlike 10 years. We can't wait or we can't allocated to support farmers and ranchersin increased soil organic carbon, whichrely on that natural progression or natural in working with their advisors and agrono- would theoretically increase productiv- adoption of new technologies. mist to adopt practices that reduce ority and long term soil health. Or they're improve nitrogen management, potentiallygoing to reduce input costs, becauseASG: Is there anything else to add?incorporate cover cropping and continueyou're going to be using fertilizer moreJA: Everybody's talking about the carbon to reduce the use of tillage.efficientlySo there's additional inputeconomy. Like all the big companies are So while it's good to be incentivizing,savings there. There's long term environ- trying to figure out how they can help or providing financial support for farm- mental benefits, which then translate intous move the needle, so to speak. And it's ers to do this, and it's not tied with anproductivity.going to be an exciting year or two in this actual creditit's just sort of a generalspace, because there's incentives in terms understanding or general knowledge thatASG: Do you feel this is feasible forof the government mandating or putting any one of those practices in those threefarmers to be able to do? into law these emission reduction targets, buckets is going to help reduce the over- JA: Maybe the practices yes, I think arewhich is that catalyst that's required to all carbon footprint of ag and our overallfeasible. It takes time, I guess for thereally light a fire, to help figure some of society, so we're going to support that,understanding of the return on invest- these things out. which is good. ment, like assuming offsets are off theBecause like I said, I don't think the table, because we just can't figure themcurrent system is viable for ag but some-ASG: Why is this something thatout, but that the long term environmentalbody or some group, or as a collective, we farmers need to be aware of orand soil health benefits are there. need to figure that out quickly, because should be aware of? If you look at, for example, conserva- these emission reduction targets are real JA: There's huge potential for ag totion tillage, or zero tillage, the adoptionand they are accelerated, the timeline is help Canada meet its overall emissionsrates, even without any kind of incentives,quite ambitious.SW52/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2021"