PR - CREATING PROFITABILITY AND LOWERING GREENHOUSE GASES: A STUDY OF SELECTED MANITOBA COW-CALF FARMS

Abstract:

Agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions account for 31% of all emissions in Manitoba in 2012. With the rising trend in Canada (and in Manitoba) in these emissions, efforts are now aimed at finding ways to reduce them. Effort is being placed on cultural practices followed by producers. This study is based on an investigation of four cow-calf farms from Manitoba, using details on their operations through a 2012 survey, in order to determine whether profitability could coincide with lower GHG emissions. Due to its use of tame pasturelands, its handling of perennial cropland, and its economical provision of feed, one of the farms, from Cluster Four, was able to achieve both measures. The farm that was able to sequester GHG emissions without profitability grew too much feed for its purposes, and maintained more land than necessary. The two remaining farms gained profits, though without sequestering GHG emissions. They would have benefitted from tame pastureland, and more legume crops.

Keywords: greenhouse gas emissions, cow-calf operations, Manitoba, profitability