Government’s $116M funding helps Sask. farmers improve efficiency and adapt to clean technology

“In a harvest like we had this previous year, where there’s heavy fog or showers that would otherwise shut you down for three or four days, we can now run through those three or four days,” he said.

“It only takes a few instances throughout the harvest to add up to 50 per cent more production in the same amount of time.”

The new equipment has also helped his operation become more efficient and less reliant on chemical treatments.

“The main reason for us is it allows us to greatly reduce our in-season glyphosate use on the crops we produce,” Wallace said.

“We’ve cut our glyphosate use in half, and we could probably go to 100 per cent now that we’re getting more comfortable with the system.”

Wallace noted that even without the funding, he planned to upgrade the systems out of his pocket, believing energy-efficient technology is key to staying competitive.

“We went into the project with the understanding that if we didn’t receive funding, we were going to go ahead with it because we were in total belief that it was going to be a great asset to our operation,” he said.

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MacAulay made the funding announcement while visiting Atlantic Grown Organics, a certified organic farm in Prince Edward Island that previously received ACT Program funding for an energy-efficient greenhouse system. He said the program is meant to help farmers remain competitive while reducing their environmental impact.

Burkitt Farm Ltd. in North Battleford received $44,650 through the program. Farmer Jason Fransoo said the funding allowed them to upgrade the grain drying system, improving efficiency and reducing fuel consumption.

“We were able to increase the size of our grain dryer, which effectively allows us to dry more grain in a shorter period of time,” Fransoo said.

“This is critical as we’re better able to harvest and dry our crop in the earlier part of September when the temperatures are warmer versus into October. You use less propane to dry it, so you’re effectively emitting fewer emissions.”

While some farmers have been able to transition from propane to natural gas, Fransoo said that wasn’t an option for his farm due to infrastructure limitations. Instead, the funding allowed him to expand his drying capacity to take advantage of warmer conditions earlier in the season.

“When you’re drying grain under warm ambient temperature, you need to use less propane,” he said.

“The increased capacity of the dryer allowed us to dry more grain when it’s warmer out, reducing overall fuel consumption and emissions.”

Both Wallace and Fransoo agree that the federal government’s funding of the ACT Program is a positive step toward helping farmers adopt greener farming practices.

Fransoo also believes programs like this are effective as long as they remain voluntary and not overly restrictive.

“Western Canadian grain farmers produce some of the lowest emissions intensity crops around the world,” he said. “So the government’s involvement to nudge farmers to improve their emissions upon an already leading-edge position—I think it’s not a problem as long as it’s not too intrusive.”

He added that Canada should also focus on promoting the sustainability of its agricultural sector.

“Helping to promote the idea that Western Canadian grain production is some of the lowest emissions intensity farming around the world might not be a bad thing,” Fransoo said.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Government’s $116M funding helps Sask. farmers improve efficiency and adapt to clean technology

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