Direct seeding and continuous cropping have meant plant residues are returned to the soil every year.

Soil organic matter and carbon sequestration

Changes in cropping practices over time have significantly improved soil quality

Prairie farmers have done an excellent job shifting to direct seeding, continuous cropping, using much more diverse crop rotations and fertilizing crops adequately, along with various other good agronomy practices. This has very positively improved soil organic matter levels and improved soil health across all the soil zones of the Prairies.






seeding near lethbridge 2011

Prairie soils’ organic carbon climbing

Data from StatCan and AAFC highlight positive changes made in agriculture since the 1980s

Glacier FarmMedia — For much of the last five years, the federal government has been setting targets for Canadian farmers to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer and methane emissions from cattle. The government has provided funding to help producers cut methane and nitrous oxide emissions from primary agriculture, while constantly beating the drumbeat of […] Read more



A chickpea and flax intercrop mix on Colin Rosengren’s farm at Midale, Sask.

Cover crops: enough already

The benefits are often 'blown up' while the challenges are understated

Cover crops is a topic with a lot of ink spilled in many farm publications in recent years. Some scribblers seem to imply that a farmer is a laggard and an environmental hazard if she/he is not using cover crops on a regular basis. Cover crops actually include a wide variety of cropping sequences, and […] Read more


‘So what if cows eject a bit of methane out both ends. What in the name of common sense do climate alarmists think the 60-million-plus buffalo did when they roamed freely on the open Plains up until the late 1800s?’ – Les Henry.

Les Henry: Sequestering carbon with grass crops

The amount sequestered in the soil is significant

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and organic matter (carbon) in our soils are topics of great current interest. Two big questions that take up much ink these days are: 1) how can we emit less CO2 with farming practices and 2) how can we sequester more carbon (C) in our soils to maintain high […] Read more

U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry and Agriculture Sectretary Tom Vilsack applaud U.S. President Joe Biden’s speech at the COP27 climate summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Nov. 11, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Farm climate innovation commitments at COP27 double to US$8 billion

Agriculture could outpace other industries to net zero: Vilsack

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | Reuters — An initiative led by the United States and the United Arab Emirates to help agriculture adapt to climate change and reduce emissions through innovation has doubled investment commitments to US$8 billion and extended its reach, it said on Friday. The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) was […] Read more