Reaping what they sow

Having apparently decided that the Wheat Board issue isn't doing enough to lose them votes on the Prairies, the Cons' latest set of environmental cuts also pulls the rug out from efforts to turn greenhouse gas efficiencies into profits for Canadian farmers:

Five climate-change programs at Agriculture Canada will be shut down. They include:

A $5-million Model Farms program to develop estimates of how much carbon can be removed from the atmosphere through new farming practices;

A $21-million project called the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program for Canadian Agriculture, meant to involve farmers in the government's campaign to reduce greenhouse gases;

A $4-million Shelterbelts Enhancement Program that aims to reduce greenhouse gases by encouraging farmers to line their fields with trees to reduce wind and help control snow piles;

A program dealing with manure management and a fifth program dealing with the role of farmers and “future fuels.”

Given that the Cons are apparently now on side with the idea of emissions trading, it makes all the less sense to want to cut farmers out of the benefits of an emissions market. But for farmers who recognize the potential for environmental improvement to also lead to a stronger bottom line, it should be a very simple step to help take the reins away from the Cons.