ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER SUSTAINABILITY 31 get stuck in jurisdictional limbo in Canada. Take the biogas sector, for instance. Dairy farmers in Denmark and Germany have formed cooperatives to generate energy from manure and crop residues. Similar projects in Canada frequently stall. To aid the transition, Seagrave believes Canada needs to first develop a national bio-economy strategy—and urgently. As European countries tighten land-use rules and impose carbonrelated restrictions on non-food crop production, a supply gap for low-carbon, bio-based products is beginning to emerge. That gap, said Seagrave, represents a clear opportunity for Canada—not only to attract investment and scale-up technologies developed overseas, but to become a preferred supplier to European markets hungry for sustainable inputs. “They’re not going to be able to scale,” she says of Europe’s pilot bio-refinery projects. “They’re going to need to scale in another country. So they might as well scale here.” This is not just a pipe dream. In recent months, Seagrave has noticed an uptick in European companies looking to relocate or expand operations, and they’re looking to Canada. For Canadian grain growers, their interest couldn’t be better timed. And as trade turmoil continues and climate-smart investment strategies continue to unfold, demand for biomass—from corn stover to wheat straw—interest is expected to grow. But if Canada wants to seize the opportunity, it will need to act quickly. FROM VISION TO ACTION: A GROWING MOVEMENT IN ONTARIO While the national conversation around bio-based transformation continues to evolve, Ontario grain producers are beginning to tap into a small but growing market for crop residues, particularly corn stover. According to James Fisher, president of the Ontario Biomass Producers Co-operative (OBPC), interest is increasing as project developers seek locally available materials for bioenergy production and other industrial applications. OBPC actively supports two commercial-scale projects in southwestern Ontario, both of which use corn stover in anaerobic digestion systems to produce renewable natural gas. To prepare for future demand, the co-op has begun compiling a list of growers willing to supply corn stover. Interested producers should contact the co-op directly. “If these projects go commercial, we will be ready to aggregate the material as needed,” Fisher explained. RESEARCH SUPPORTS TRANSITION Growers who have adopted regenerative practices need not worry that removing residue will reverse or slow soil health gains. According to Fisher, researchers, including Charles Lalonde, Biomass Project Coordinator for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, have evaluated how much residue can be safely without harming soil health. The results of those studies have been positive. “Farmers are really creative,” says Fisher. “If we get to the commercial market, I am quite sure the harvesting techniques will evolve and improve fairly rapidly.” While corn stover remains the primary focus, Fisher also pointed to emerging opportunities for purpose-grown biomass crops, including switchgrass and miscanthus. THE PUSH FOR NEW MARKETS While most bioeconomy opportunities outside of biofuels are still nascent for Ontario farmers, there’s work being done to build the infrastructure, partnerships and market demand needed to bring them into the fold. Behind the scenes, Grain Farmers of Ontario provides support for projects that use grain and crop residues in new and value-added ways through its Grains Innovation Fund. “We have innovation themes that help to target where we’d like to invest market development funds,” explains Rachel Zimic, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s market development coordinator. “One of the areas that we’ve outlined is projects that position Ontario grains and oilseeds to play a role in next-generation bioeconomy solutions.” Among the most promising examples are two recent projects that utilize corn grain residues. One involves the creation of a rigid insulation product, already attracting interest from Ontario housing developers. Another is producing an organic brick replacement from corn stover that they call “Bio-Gel Composites.” Grain Farmers of Ontario has also supported a soybean oil-based road paint, approved by Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation. “We’ve had a couple more projects over the years that have definitely supported the development of the bioeconomy,” she says. “That is an area of strategic importance for us at Grain Farmers of Ontario.” To ensure funding supports scalable opportunities, each project must meet specific criteria. “We are most interested in projects that will use more than 40 metric tonnes of grain per year, but we also consider innovative projects that can spark disruption or create new markets for grains,” says Zimic. Final decisions are made by a farmer-led committee who evaluate the economic potential. “The Grains Innovation Fund gives farmers the opportunity select projects they’re excited about and support industry in an impactful way,” she says. The projects are still in their early stages, but they point to a future where Ontario grain and residues are used in more than just food and feed. With farmer-led input and quiet but consistent support behind the scenes, the groundwork is being laid for something bigger—where what grows in the field can fuel innovation at home, not just abroad. •
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4