CEU Credits: 0.5
Carbon, Carbon Everywhere….But What About The Sinks!
The carbon footprint of food production is an important and complex topic. National greenhouse gas emission reduction targets have put carbon emissions from agriculture in the spotlight, but the carbon footprint of agriculture needs to account for carbon uptake in the soil and net emissions to the atmosphere…both of which are challenging to measure and monitor. This session is intended to share some facts about greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, agriculture’s carbon footprint, the potential for best management practices to “move the needle”, and the on-going evolution of carbon programs that are meant to incentivize and de-risk practice change to reduce emissions while maintaining productivity of food production.
Dr. Joy Agnew, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology
Joy grew up on a grain farm near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and earned her Ph.D. in Ag/Bio Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. At Olds College of Agriculture and Technology, Joy oversees the applied research portfolio and smart farm operations. Applied research at Olds College is focused crop and livestock production with a specialty in technology integration and data utilization to improve productivity and sustainability of food production. Joy also has a leadership role in the development of the College’s Smart Ag Ecosystem, bringing together the academic programming, applied research, strategic partnerships, smart farm operations, and extension & communication activities to help the College meet its goal to be a leader in Smart Agriculture. In 2021, Joy was named one of Canada’s top 50 most influential people in Canadian Ag by Canadian Western Agribition.
Josh Bourassa, The Simpson Centre for Agricultural and Food Policy
Josh Bourassa is a research associate at the University of Calgary’s Simpson Centre and research lead on the Centre’s Carbon Program. His research is focused on greenhouse gas emissions in Alberta’s ag sector and developing strategies to promote the adoption of beneficial management practices. Josh graduated from the University of Manitoba with a M.Sc in Agribusiness and Agriculture Economics and will be heading to the University of Saskatchewan this fall to pursue a Ph.D. in Ag Economics.