Manitoba farmers will keep access to more than $7.6 million in provincial support for sustainable agriculture under the province's first Net Zero Action Plan, but the government has yet to spell out what the rollout means for farms, the Manitoba Co-operator reports.
Agriculture and agri-food account for about a third of Manitoba's greenhouse gas emissions. Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes said more efficient operations can cut both emissions and costs, pointing to grain drying upgrades and better fertilizer use.
Fertilizer is addressed directly. Action 6-H commits Manitoba Agriculture to work with Fertilizer Canada on the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework (right source, rate, timing and placement), and action 6-K lists variable-rate fertilizer or manure application, guided by soil survey data, among practices that can reduce emissions. Grain drying, however, is not named in any of the plan's 90 actions; the closest, 4-C, opens Efficiency Manitoba's agricultural offers to those switching from natural gas to high-efficiency electric heating or renewable fuels, and it is unclear whether dryers qualify.
Much of the farm section restates existing programmes: the voluntary Environmental Farm Plan, cost-shared funding for beneficial management practices under Sustainable Agriculture Manitoba, a greenhouse gas assessment tool for producers and extension work on how production decisions affect emissions.
Two items still to come will matter to farmers: interim emissions targets, which an expert advisory council expects to propose by fall 2026, and a possible carbon offset and credit protocol for Manitoba. The province says it will review the plan every year and keep consulting farm groups.
Photo: Northwest / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Manitoba Co-operator (reporting by Miranda Leybourne)
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