Farmers and ranchers face many pressures to farm and raise animals in certain ways to meet sustainability-related goals of others, including food companies, lenders, and government.

Clauses in crop contracts, carbon credits, government payments for rotational grazing or using nitrogen loss inhibitors, the federal fertilizer emission reduction target, codes of practice, and Scope 3 emissions reporting requirements are just some examples of policies aimed at driving changes in agriculture.

Whether companies or government take a carrot or stick approach, the success of a given policy in agriculture is often dependent on changes at the farm level, requiring buy-in from producers.

27 per cent of Canadian farmers said they were enrolled in private or government programs encouraging the adoption of sustainable farming practices, according to a Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute study last year, based on a survey work by RealAgristudies. Interestingly, only 14 per cent of these farmers said the incentives offered were a requirement for adopting the preferred practice, which suggests there are others reasons for switching to a practice that is viewed as more sustainable.

So, what motivates farmers to implement or adopt a new sustainability practice? That's the main question we discuss on this new episode of the Ag Policy Connection, featuring a panel of producers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario (Manitoba, too, if you include the host.)

What are some examples of successful policies? What's the role of the government? These are some of the questions we explore with our panelists:

- Fred Lozeman, farmer and rancher from the Claresholm, Alberta area. Fred also serves on many research-related industry boards, including Alberta Beef Producers, Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), the Beef Cattle Research Council, and the new Western Crop Innovations organization;
- Ian McCreary, crop and livestock farmer based near Bladworth, Saskatchewan. Ian is also a co-lead of the Prairie Farmer and Rancher Forum, and former taskforce chair for Farmers for Climate Solutions;
- Lyndsey Smith, wearing her farmer hat as co-owner of Shady Creek Lamb Co., a family-run farm that raises sheep and produces lamb near Ottawa, Ont.

The Ag Policy Connection is presented by the Canadian Agricultural Policy Institute and RealAgriculture.

Thoughts or feedback? Please send me an email at kheppner@realagriculture.com or leave a message on the RealAg Listener Line at 1.855.776.6147.

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