Robinson presents before Senate committee studying soil health

The former president of the PEI Federation of Agriculture noted the industry went from being a net emitter of 1.2 megatons of carbon in 1981 to sequestering 4.2 megatonnes in 2019. She said one of the big reasons for the success was an increase in the rate of conservation tillage from being under 10 per cent in 1991 to over 60 per cent in 2016.

"Despite this, many producers especially in Eastern Canada have seen a leveling off and even a slight decrease in soil organic carbon matter," she told the committee. "Among other things, this is often attributed to a decrease in the size of beef cattle and dairy herds which often rely on perennial crops and pasture grazing for feed."

Robinson noted the conversion from perennial fields to cash crops has contributed to lower soil organic matter. The national farm leader explained the decrease in livestock herds can be attributed to such things as lower beef herd sizes due to BSE, increase efficiencies in dairy production and unstable beef prices which saw many livestock producers convert to grains and oilseeds production.

"Lower soil organic matter has resulted from economic, social and environmental forces and we need to be mindful of this," she said. "The truth is identifying best practices in soil health is complicated."

She said it can only be determined by a complicated analysis of soil, weather and yield data. Robinson said the federation strong urges the federal government to continue investing in research on soil health data "so that we can capture the tremendous efforts being made by producers today." She added all research must be done through the lens of soil health.

Looking to the future, she said the CFA recommends federal investment in the Agric Science Cluster supporting industry led research geared to soil health. Robinson said the federal government also has a role in helping farmers implement best management practices going forward.

She said the efforts of those producers she termed pioneers in implementing best management practices on their farms must be recognized. She noted the greenhouse gas offset system being introduced by Ottawa only allows producers to generate carbon credits for soil health practices that began after 2017.

"The early adopters will not be recognized for their efforts," she said. "These producers did much of the heavy lifting required to develop many of the best management practices and contributed to the increase in carbon sequestration between 1981 and 2016."

Robinson said their work needs to be acknowledged and celebrated, adding we need to learn from the past, especially what happened in eastern Canada She said government should not be involved in production decisions at the farm level, but must recognize the role agriculture can play in sequestering carbon.

"Soil health management cannot be considered in isolation," she told the senators. "As Canada looks to reduce fuel carbon intensity, reduce emissions and achieve other environmental objectives, we must acknowledge that will have consequences for soil carbon and soil health."