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| | From AESA Council’s Chair
by John Kolk
Poultry Industry Council
Over the last 10 years, Alberta’s agricultural industry has gone through a lot of changes. There have been tough transitions as well as stimulating new trends. Some of the most positive changes have been in manure management. Simply put, more and more farmers are treating manure as a resource rather than a waste.
In our own operation near Picture Butte, we’ve made important changes in how we handle our manure resource. We now use regular soil testing and manure testing for a more accurate picture of what nutrients are needed and what we’re actually applying. When we apply manure, we’re incorporating it into the soil as soon as possible to reduce nutrient losses and odours. And we’re partially composting manure to reduce volumes and transportation costs. In the future further processing of manure into heat, energy and consistent nutrient levels are very real possibilities.
The drive for change in manure management in Alberta is coming from many sources. It’s coming from a growing awareness of manure’s soil quality benefits and from a desire to keep fertilizer costs down. It’s coming from the increasing need to control odours and to prevent the potentially serious effects of manure on water quality. It’s coming from Alberta’s regulations on nutrient management. And it’s coming from technological advances.
This issue of Green Matters looks at technology for improved nutrient management. One article outlines the Alberta Nutrient Management Strategy, an innovative initiative to accelerate adoption of practical, cost-effective technologies
for managing farm nutrient sources. Other articles discuss the use of leading-edge monitoring technology to select feed efficient livestock and describe some technologies for managing manure applications.
Especially exciting to me are technologies that produce both financial and environmental benefits. True sustainability requires a win-win outcome for economics and the environment. That principle is fundamental for the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (AESA) Council. I think it’s fundamental for most farmers, too.
The last article in this issue, focusing on AESA’s Processing Based Program, shows that balancing economics and the environment is also vital for processors. By seeking value in things they once considered as wastes, processors are improving their bottom lines and reducing environmental impacts.
Change is always with us. Over the next 10 years, we’ll likely see even greater changes in Alberta’s agricultural industry. Environmental issues, consumer demands and regulatory requirements will continue to be strong drivers for change. Userfriendly, effective technologies will play a key part in enabling producers and processors to use the forces for change as a springboard for creating a thriving, successful and environmentally sound industry. |
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Roger Bryan.
This document is maintained by Deb Sutton.
This information published to the web on June 15, 2004.
Last Reviewed/Revised on June 12, 2008.
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