Bacon-lettuce comparison questioned Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Producing a calorie of bacon causes fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a calorie of lettuce. That's according to a new study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University published in Environment Systems and Decisions and reported on in Climatewire. That's because, on a calorie basis, many fruits and vegetables are resource-intensive. If Americans switched their diets to fall in line with U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines, energy use, water use and greenhouse gas emissions would increase by 38 per cent, 10 per cent and six per cent respectively.One of the authors, Paul Fischbeck, professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy, concludes that a strictly vegan diet isn't good for the environment. However, pork isn't really off the hook. No one eats lettuce for calorie content, points out Martin Heller, a research specialist with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, who published a similar study last May saying the bacon-lettuce comparison is ridiculous.One lesson is that life-cycle assessments of foods are questionable. Maybe the newest dietary guidelines will be affected by climate change concerns anyway. BP Pressure grows on the trucking industry to introduce more humane trailers Venting on the weather
Where could ag fit in the fall session of Parliament? Tuesday, September 17, 2024 MPs returned to Ottawa this week to begin the fall session of Parliament. With the NDP pulling out of its supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, a federal election could be triggered at any time if a non-confidence vote passes in the House. The carbon tax, cost of living... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
Canada rail union launches court challenges to back-to-work order Monday, September 16, 2024 The union representing workers at Canada's two main rail companies said on Friday it had filed court challenges against rulings by the country's industrial labor board that forced them back to work,Reuters reported. On Saturday, the board accepted a request from the government to order... Read this article online
New resource to support root rot mitigation in pulses Monday, September 16, 2024 A new website is available to pulse growers looking to get ahead of root rot diseases in their pea and lentil fields. Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG), as part of the Pulse Root Rot Network, launched rootrot.ca. “As root rots are a top priority, this website was developed to... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online