Regina, Saskatchewan
December 7,  2001

At the 1st World Congress on Conservation Agriculture held in Madrid, Spain in October, Canadian farmers who attended the event were pleased to hear Canada acknowledged as a world leader in the adoption of conservation tillage. However, they came away from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-sponsored conference with the realization that much more can be done to increase both Canadian and global acres devoted to conservation tillage.

"While we have a leadership position in conservation tillage right now, what we consider to be positive, but small steps forward, would be quantum leaps forward in other countries," said farmer Ernie Sirski from Dauphin, Manitoba. "For example, maintaining crop residues may seem normal in Canada, but it became clear to us that it was much less obvious in Spain, which still plows many of its fields."

Sirski, together with farmers Warren Keading from Churchbridge, Saskatchewan and Lee Erickson from Donalda, Alberta attended the conference with the support of Monsanto Canada as a way to learn about conservation tillage practices and adoption rates around the world and share ideas with farmers, academics, non-governmental organizations and industry on how to increase awareness of the benefits of conservation tillage.

Conservation tillage - or reduced tillage - is a farming practice that promotes minimal soil disturbance and increased organic matter on fields. It now accounts for 27.5 million acres in Canada and 400 million acres globally. While the adoption of conservation tillage as a sustainable farming practice has increased in Canada and other world areas, there is still significant potential for continued growth.

Sirski, Keading and Erickson all agreed that increased awareness of conservation tillage as a sound economic and environmental farming practice for Canadian farmers has come about as a result of years of innovation by both farmers and the industry, but maintaining Canada's leadership role will take concerted support by government and all industry players.

"The use of seeding, spraying and biotechnology have placed Canada ahead of many of its competitors," said Keading. "In order maintain that advantage, we must work with government, industry and farmers to ensure we continue to be first and have the best technologies and production methods available to us. Only by continuing to promote research and awareness into
conservation tillage practices will Canada be able to stay ahead of other world farmers in what has become an incredibly competitive industry."

In addition to soil erosion, water and air quality benefits, conservation tillage practices can also improve wildlife habitat, reduce the amount of fuel burned by farmers, increase the richness of the soil and reduce the amount of fertilizers and pesticides used.

Additional information on the 1st World Congress on Conservation Agriculture can be found at
http://www.ecaf.org/Congress/Latest--news.htm 

Company news release
N4034