Walking or biking to work is not usually an option for Manitoba farmers – even during Environment Week – but they still do their part to safeguard land and water resources. And generally, they do it all year round.
“Farmers are uniquely connected to the environment because our economic survival depends on our ability to successfully integrate our farms into the surrounding landscape,” said KAP president Doug Chorney.
Chorney points to the fact that Manitoba farmers have enthusiastically embraced the Environmental Farm Plan program – a federal-provincial initiative that assists them with improving the environmental performance of their farms. To date, almost 6,500 farmers in this province have completed environmental farm plans, he said.
In addition, many farmers practice conservation tillage or zero tillage in order to protect land from wind and water erosion, and to reduce the need for stubble burning, he added. Manitoba farmers are also very active in local conservation districts, and were instrumental in developing the Alternate Land Use Service that is now running pilot projects in four other provinces.
As the leading farm policy group in Manitoba, KAP supports farmers in their environmental endeavours, Chorney noted. It is currently partnering with Lake Friendly, a conservation group established by the Lake Winnipeg South Basin mayors and reeves to raise awareness about the threats to Lake Winnipeg and other waterways.
In addition, KAP is partnering with CleanFARMS and the Canadian Animal Health Institute to promote the collection and safe disposal of obsolete agricultural pesticides and animal health products during a three-day blitz in October. The last time this event was held, 51,158.5 kilograms of obsolete agricultural pesticides were collected and safely disposed of.
KAP was invited to share its ideas on a National Conservation Plan, and Chorney made a presentation in Ottawa to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in April.
“We are passionate in our belief that farmers and farm groups must play a significant role in both the development and implementation of a National Conservation Plan if it is to achieve widespread success,” he told the committee.
