Poll finds climate change, severe weather top issue for farmers across Canada
Farmers and ranchers interested in reducing emissions, including through nitrogen management, cover cropping
Mike Harlow recalls wading through the snow as a kid to help harvest Christmas trees on his family farm in Nova Scotia's Queens County.
Harlow, who is president of the province's Christmas Tree Council, said the changing climate is creating new challenges.
"Temperatures have become increasingly warmer in the fall," he said. "Dry trees, later frost, these are things we've never experienced in years before."
The council has a climate adaptation strategy, and has gone as far as to hire a staff member dedicated to addressing the issue.
But it is not just Christmas tree growers who are concerned — recent polling shows climate change is the top issue for agriculture nationwide.
Farmers for Climate Solutions, which develops policy and training on the issue, commissioned the market research company Leger to conduct a survey of 858 farmers and ranchers across Canada.
When asked about the biggest challenge in the decade ahead, almost a quarter of those surveyed highlighted climate change and severe weather. Other concerns were input costs, 17.2 per cent, and government regulation, 11.5 per cent.
More than three-quarters of those surveyed said they've experienced drought, heat waves, floods, wildfires, hail, tornadoes, or new pests and diseases in the past five years.
"High-input agriculture is high-emissions agriculture," said Brent Preston, president of Farmers for Climate Solutions.
"We think there's opportunities to help farmers reduce the amount of inputs they use, lessen their reliance on inputs and that'll automatically bring down the emissions."
Agriculture emissions
Crop and livestock production, excluding emissions from the use of fossil fuels or from fertilizer production, account for 10 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, according to the federal government.
The survey showed the farmers and ranchers were interested in reducing emissions through nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing.
"All of these things are tried and proven methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture," Preston said.
"We really think this points to the need for more support in terms of financial support, technical information and training to allow farmers to take on these practices that they say they really are interested in."
Alicia King, vice-president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, said the changing growing season could also open up new possibilities that could be a positive in the province.
"We can grow things longer or [in] different seasons. We can grow different products, produce. There's lots of different ways to look at it," she said.
As the agriculture sector adapts, she said it's important that federal programs that help manage financial risks on farms should be tailored to provincial issues.
"Sometimes we're faced with an emergency, obviously an emergency fund is what we need. But one of the things that we can look for is building a better business risk management program that's more tailored toward the Nova Scotia farmer," King said.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada offers multiple programs that provide support through events such as natural disasters and margin declines. Minister Lawrence MacAulay was not available for an interview.
"During the last meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture in July, Ministers discussed ways to improve these programs and make them more responsive to the needs of producers, while strengthening the supports available to address recurrent and emerging risks," said an emailed statement from the department.
When farmers faced floods and wildfires in 2023, the province of Nova Scotia offered a seasonal response program to fill gaps in other business risk management programs. Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow did not answer CBC News questions at Province House on Monday and an interview request made a week ago went unfulfilled.
"We're supporting them with programs and resources like supports for clean technology, soil health, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the department, we have a dedicated Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability team that is focused on helping farmers and producers reduce operating costs, strengthen food security, and navigate a changing climate — their work continues," Morrow said in a statement from his department.
Standing proud in front of a thick Christmas tree donated at Province House on Tuesday, Harlow said more stable funding programs would help commodities beyond his own. He is optimistic the re-elected Houston government will listen to producers.
"We are the experts and [governments] rely on industry to really help guide them in some of their decisions."
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