Along with presentations related to high performance forages, stakeholders and leading researchers from universities and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will meet for a day and a half of technical workshops to discuss best management practices and provide a science review on high performance forage and grassland management systems in Canada.
"The ability to adapt to climate change and utilize the potential of forages and grasses to sequester carbon is a major issue in Canada right now," says Cedric MacLeod, the CFGA's Executive Director. "The conference will provide both producers and researchers the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about this important issue."
The presentations and workshops are the latest activities for the CFGA's
High Performance Management Systems to Reduce Greenhouse Gases in Canada's Forage and Grasslands
research and development project that falls under Canada's
$27 million, five-year Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program (AGGP). The program is intended to help create technologies, practices and processes for the agricultural sector to adjust to climate change and improve soil and water conservation by developing new farming practices and methods.
The CFGA began the project in February by reviewing existing quantification protocols and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation research from across Canada and around the world. The literature review will provide an understanding of what currently exists to avoid
duplication of existing quantification protocols as well as fill and improve any gaps.
"We are also working with producer groups and experts to identify beneficial management practices for forage and rangeland producers that improve the ability to enhance soil carbon sequestion," says MacLeod. "These BMPs will be collated into a manual outlining the methodology in the quantification protocol and showcase how producers can use the BMP's to implement soil carbon enhancement projects."
"Later in the project we will pilot the BMPs and the quantification methodology on a number of test sites across Canada where producers can see the implementation of the protocol in action."
