Agriculture Roundup for Thursday February 29, 2024

Canadian pulses are some of the most sustainable crops in the world, and a national group is looking to back that up with even more data.

Pulse Canada is asking chickpea growers to participate in a survey looking at the environmental impact of that crop’s production.

The survey results will be used to create a ‘Life Cycle Assessment for Canadian chickpeas’. The goal is to use the data to position Canadian chickpeas as foods with a low environmental footprint.

Producers can complete the Chickpea Grower Survey until Mar. 31.

This week’s annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) brought together farm and food leaders from across the country with a focus on the world stage.

CFA President Keith Curry said Canadian agriculture is consistently being impacted by events that are outside of our borders and global in nature.

The CFA membership passed 53 resolutions on issues including conservation, climate change, labour, rural infrastructure, crop protection, international trade, and risk management.

CFA also endorsed Agriculture in the Classroom Canada as the leader in agriculture education in Canada.

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Canada is among the top countries for sales of organic food products in the global market.

Standardizing practices and substances that can be labelled as “organic” is important for Canada to remain competitive in global trade.

The Organic Federation of Canada will receive $500,000 in government funding to update regulations to ensure imported products labelled as organic are complying with Canadian standards.

This will include the production and marketing of certified organic products as well as revisions on the sections on animal welfare, the impact of climate change by capturing and storing carbon in soil and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.