How is climate action showing up on livestock and crop farms?

I’ve worked with producers since 2009 and it’s interesting to watch the evolution of how they deal with climate challenges.

We didn’t have a drop of rain for most of last summer in P.E.I. One agronomist said that since cover cropping is more common now than it was 10 years ago, the impact of the 2025 drought was lessened. The soil is more resilient now because of the cover crop work farmers have done, both on livestock and crop farms.

The types of cover crops planted now are guided by the knowledge of agronomists and their understanding of soil science. Farmers should look at their soil type, topography and location, such as whether the land is coastal or landlocked.

Farmers determine what their climate challenges are, what steps they’re already taking and then what they need to do to overcome challenges. That includes creating a business case for climate-resilient strategies and calculating the return on investment for implementing the strategies. Farmers can also access FCC’s Sustainable Incentive Program. Funds can help with research, time and capital of implementing sustainability changes.

Farmers are acknowledging their relationship to the environment, seeing tangible climate-resilient benefits to the biodiversity surrounding their fields. Wetlands and shelter belts can help in flood mitigation and drought tolerance, for example, and pollinator strips help increase biodiversity and soil filtration.

My hope is that we’ll continue to see farmers willing to share what works with each other and industry professionals. Hopefully that will help producers find solutions that work for them and their livestock or crop operations.

If scientists can better understand and match nitrogen applications with the requirements of the plant, we can better understand the impact on the environment, and the input needs farmers have.

I work to better understand soil processes that help enhance the efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer. I want to ensure most of the nitrogen is used by the plant and isn’t lost as nitrous oxide emissions or through leaching or runoff. I want to know how the soil and the plant interact and how these fertilizer sources can be better utilized by the plant to reduce potential losses. Reducing nitrous oxide emissions and nitrogen leaching are both important to reducing agriculture’s impact on the environment.

4R nutrient stewardship (right rate, time, amount and source) is a framework that contributes less nitrogen to the environment, reduces losses to air and water, and helps farmers save money, since efficient input application lowers costs.

There’s a lot of research and products out there for the right source of fertilizer. More slow-release technologies, for example, allow for nitrogen to be better timed for crop uptake. Fertilizer applied where the plant can acquire it through its roots is more efficient and reduces emissions, while broadcast application accelerates emissions.

Farmers and researchers are adapting these strategies to tweak an existing system, rather than trying to introduce completely new practices. If they’re already using these strategies, we should find ways to make what they’re already doing even better.