20 Sustainability and fertilizers as well as changes in soil organic carbon, and models of “upstream” activities to produce things like fertilizer and fuels to estimate overall all emissions. This allows creating a quite accurate mapping of all the sources of emissions and their relative magnitudes.” LEARN MORE ABOUT GHG EMISSIONS AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION ON YOUR FARM Free tools are available for farmers, including the Holos model and the GHG tool in Agrisuite, which are model-based approaches intended for education and awareness. Thiam emphasizes that “farmers should be aware that every tool has limitations and that they are producing estimates.” Before developing an estimate, Thiam notes that “it is important for farmers to determine the boundary and time scale of what they want to quantify and why they want to quantify GHG emissions,” as the intention behind estimating can influence the approach that is taken (e.g., model-based vs. activitybased approaches). HOLOS MODEL: AAFC developed the Holos model to enable users to model scenarios that reflect real farming systems and make adjustments to see how practice changes impact GHG emissions and changes in soil carbon. Kröbel shared that “the Holos model is a stand-alone desktop model, which means that those who use it have continued from page 19 INTERESTED IN SAVING MONEY AND ENRICHING YOUR SOILS? Get in touch via the link below or call (613) 387-2734 x 100 www.canadianwollastonite.com/carboncapture SAVE MONEY, REPLACE LIME, AND NATURALLY ENRICH YOUR SOIL’S HEALTH �50/mt �0/mt WITH CARBON SUBSIDY • Improve soil pH and replace lime • Source of calcium, magnesium, silicon + more • Increase resistance to pests, diseases, and weather extremes CW is a locally sourced natural lime alternative that rapidly releases nutrients to improve your soil health and increase crop yields, while permanently removing CO from the atmosphere through a process called enhanced rock weathering. spring promotion wollastonite for $0/MT We pay spreading You pay trucking control over the data they’ve inputted and the estimates produced.” www.agriculture.canada.ca/en/agricultural-production/holos AGRISUITE: OMAFRA has developed a GHG tool within AgriSuite to support farmers in estimating on-farm GHG emissions and soil carbon sequestration. www.agrisuite.omafra.gov.on.ca After developing an estimate of GHG emissions using these tools, farmers can run through ‘what if’ scenarios of practices that could be adopted on their farms to reduce GHG emissions. Thiam shares that “farmers should consider if modifications to practices or new practice adoption will create co-benefits that the farmer values, such as less expenditure or improved soil health, what the costs and net returns are both short- and long-term, and if the practice results in net GHG emissions reductions.” By quantifying on-farm GHG emissions and soil carbon, farmers can broaden their awareness of their business’ progress and opportunities to advance, complementing their existing efforts to compile farm management information to make informed decisions. Lisa Ashton, PhD, is Grain Farmers of Ontario’s sustainability and environment lead.•
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