Developing a solid foundation for grain producers
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Responsible Grain is a national, voluntary code of practice that allows Canadian grain farmers to demonstrate their care and commitment to the environment. Ted Menzies, a farmer in Alberta, is the executive chair of Responsible Grain, a group developed by farmers and industry experts. The code of practice demonstrates how Canadian farms preserve land, air and water. It incorporates nutrient management, pest and pesticide management, soil and water management and health and well-being. Implementation of the practices will be measured over time using the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC) Metrics Platform to promote continuous improvement.
Ted Menzies said, “I’ve been a farmer for over 30 years. Farmers are part of the building process. It’s time for the code of practice to be developed. It’s time for farmers to show that they are acting responsibly. Farmers live in the middle of the environment. We’re on the ground. We depend on the soil to grow our crops, depend on rainfall, irrigation, on making sure we don’t let our soil become eroded.”
Consultations started in November of 2020 on the CRSC draft code of practice for Canadian grain farmers. The goal of Responsible Grain is to build trust among consumers and grain customers.
Consultations on the draft code began on Nov. 24., but more talks needed to be scheduled as more people began to register. Over 550 registrations were received, 90 percent of which were farmers and producers wanting to provide feedback on what will or will not work on their farm and considerations for the diversity in farming throughout Canada.
The companies and organizations represented on the code committee include Cargill, Viterra, CropLife Canada, Aramark and Ducks Unlimited. Menzies said the code committee’s objective is to find actions farmers can take that will be recognized by supply chain partners and consumers.
Menzies, who has served as an MP for nine years, recalls meeting with Chinese officials a couple of years ago and discussing restrictions on Canadian canola, which is one example of why the code would be valuable. That is when he realized the importance of showing the protocols that farmers follow in Canada.
It was noted that governments are more likely to put regulations in place where they see a gap. A Code will help prove that there are no gaps. The draft code will include already mandated protocols through federal, provincial and municipal regulations.
“We’re going to listen, and we’re going to learn from what farmers say because if farmers don’t like this, and this isn’t going to work on your farm, and we’ve said this is voluntary, you’re not going to sign up. So we have to make it, so this is functional,” said Menzies.
Once consultations are complete, the Code Development Committee will review each of the Code Practices in light of the feedback. The input provided during the consultations is critical. It will be used to review the code to ensure it is practical and widely adoptable by farmers.
Projections are to complete consultations by the end of March of this year. One of the tweets said if farmers write their code and it is endorsed by researchers, suppliers, grain buyers and processors, it could be a solid foundation to work from if the government ever came at farmers with regulations.
