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Carbon credits top the agenda of soil conference

Feb 10, 2022 | 2:46 PM

MELFORT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SSCA) believes there is more to be discussed when it comes to carbon credits.

Farmers want to be reimbursed for the carbon sequestered on their minimum and zero-till farmland.

SSCA president Mark Hoimyr said the theme of its two-day conference next week is Why Carbon Matters. He said a feature of the conference will be discussion on carbon markets and provide questions for farmers and ranchers to ask.

Hoimyr said several different entities have been offering a version of carbon offset credits.

“If I’m not mistaken, there’s already organizations out there with the intent of signing people up for locking in their carbon credits for carbon sequestration,” Hoimyr said. “We wanted to get some information out there and just help producers make informed decisions so that when things do start to move, they’ve got a little bit more in their toolbox as far as understanding.”

Hoimyr said it’s a concern that there isn’t a clear picture on how carbon markets will operate. He said it could be related to what’s happening in the United States.

“The whole system is structured around finding an emitter to pay you for sequestering carbon and the lion’s share of our pool for emitters is likely going to come from the U.S. There’s some big changes coming down as far as is how their system works,” he said.

The Why Carbon Matters conference will include a farmer panel backed up by carbon-qualified speakers.

Farmers will also share their stories on how they have found success increasing soil health on their farms.

The conference is being held at the Saskatoon Inn Feb. 16 and 17. The first day of the conference is for SSCA members only.

More information is available on the SSCA website.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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