Farmscape for October 7, 2005 (Episode 1933) The Canadian Pork Council says protocols being developed for calculating greenhouse gas offsets in Canadian agriculture are based on the best available science applicable to Canadian conditions and Canadian operating methods. The National Offsets Quantification Team hopes to release the first draft of the package that will allow Canadian swine producers to qualify for greenhouse gas reduction credits within weeks. CPC Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Coordinator Cedric MacLeod says the protocol identifies three key areas where hog producers can make improvements and potentially qualify for greenhouse gas offset credits. Clip-Cedric MacLeod-Canadian Pork Council The first would be feeding. Obviously crude protein reductions in our feed and supplementing with synthetic amino acids is an important component of production to save costs and to gain efficiency on our farms but that reduced nitrogen output that results from feeding lower crude protein diets actually reduces the amount of nitrous oxide in the fields. Also improving the feed conversion means that you have less wasted feed and less bypass through your pig of feed carbon. The less carbon that goes into the manure storage, the less methane that you're getting there. The storage is the second component. If you empty your manure storage prior to warmer temperatures, so if you're emptying that in the spring you're not subjecting the carbon that flows from your barn into the storage to high temperatures which means higher methane yields. The third area is going to be field applications. If you're doing a really good job of targeting nitrogen application rates so you don't have over application then there's also some opportunity to reduce our emissions there. The first draft of the pork industry offset quantification protocol is expected to be released within the next two to three weeks and it's hoped the package can pass through the necessary reviews and approvals by January or February of 2006. For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council |