The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry visits the Prairies this week

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry is on the road this week visiting locations in Saskatchewan and Alberta as part of its new study on Canadian soil health.

Senator Rob Black says getting on the road and meeting with farmers, ranchers, and researchers is important.

"There's nothing like seeing things on the ground, right? So the opportunity to see what folks are doing, what's being tried, what's being tested and the opportunity to chat with people on their home turf is very important. It's also important to understand that and we've heard through our testimony that a one size fits all .. doesn't work in Canada. There are different soil types. There are different regions in Canada that we need to think about as we put together recommendations for the government at the end of this study."

During the stop in Saskatchewan, the group will visit the University of Saskatchewan's Kernen Crop Research Farm and will make a stop at Olds College during their two-day visit to Alberta on Wednesday and Thursday.

Black adds that what we were doing in agriculture 40 years ago, what we were talking about is certainly different than what we're dealing with today.

"We weren't talking climate change back then. We weren't talking carbon sequestration and so there's a lot that has happened since 1984. So this is a new study. It's an update from the old one, and I'm hopeful that it will resonate with all Canadians and all orders of government."

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Saskatchewan on Monday and Tuesday, and in Alberta on Wednesday and Thursday.