What is SASKFSA?

[bucket]

When did this start and why?

DO we need another farm group to mix up the politicians and keep us divided on what ever their cause is?

Anyone know about this organization....I dont get much from their website.

[AC man]

When did this start and why?

DO we need another farm group to mix up the politicians and keep us divided on what ever their cause is?

Anyone know about this organization....I dont get much from their website.

I haven’t heard anything about this organization. Hopefully it is one that is not afraid to put governments to task. I have farmed too many years and am very cynical about any group. I think that the definition will be Sask Farmer Suckered Again !!! Hope I am wrong.

[bucket]

I haven’t heard anything about this organization. Hopefully it is one that is not afraid to put governments to task. I have farmed too many years and am very cynical about any group. I think that the definition will be Sask Farmer Suckered Again !!! Hope I am wrong.

Good explanation....I too am very cynical about these guys that have been on numerous boards ...accomplished nothing and then start another group for their pleasure.

[jamesb]

I have been a member of Sask FSA for a few years. In a nut shell for me its a group to advocate for progressive drainage policies for Sask. I feel that there is a lot of groups like duck unlimited and the nature conservancy that spend lots of money to try and shut down modern agriculture. I think sask fsa is trying to promote responsible and legal drainage that is workable. It is a acreage based membership fee. Annual meeting was always in Yorkton.

[seldomseen]

Yes it’s an organization that promotes responsible drainage and is supposed to represent farmers with the provincial government. Not sure if they were there when the government came up with their latest drainage policy?

[jamesb]

Yes it’s an organization that promotes responsible drainage and is supposed to represent farmers with the provincial government. Not sure if they were there when the government came up with their latest drainage policy?

From my understanding , Sask FSA is trying to improve the situation. One thing I do know is that the current Sask WSA is way better than the old Sask Water. In the past it was such a gong show that it was impossible to have a expectation of ever getting a permit. At least today things are moving a little better. We have a long way to go. For me the most glaring thing is the fact that in so many places in the world with a longer history of agriculture, drainage is a recognized tool to better the land and increase productivity. Its a shame that in some circles it has such negativity in Sask

[chuckChuck]

The bad news is when you drain wetlands and clear bush massive amounts of CO2 are released.

Zero till not the only way

In her Oct. 1 article, “Farmers want recognition for continued carbon work,” Karen Briere correctly points out that the practice of zero tillage puts carbon back in the ground. The research conducted on this front by the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association is critical and should continue.

However, zero tillage is only one of several ways that Saskatchewan farmers contribute to carbon sequestration and the fight against climate change.

When Saskatchewan farms conserve native prairie grasslands, forested areas and wetlands, they also store a great deal of carbon and increase Saskatchewan’s resilience against a changing climate. Ducks Unlimited Canada believes these practices should be recognized for the benefits they provide to agriculture and society.

Wetlands are optimum natural environments for sequestering and storing carbon from the atmosphere. It is estimated that Saskatchewan’s remaining wetlands store 360 million tonnes of carbon — that is 1.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is more than seven times the total annual carbon emissions from the transportation sector in Canada.

Consequently, this stored carbon is released when wetlands are drained. In fact, draining as little as six hectares (15 acres) of wetland can release the same greenhouse gas equivalent as the carbon sequestered in one year from no-till farming 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres). Conserving wetlands and other natural areas is another important way farmers improve the overall carbon budget of Saskatchewan.

Because wetlands, native prairie and forested areas provide so much carbon storage value, it is essential that these areas are conserved. To that end, DUC supports intensifying crop production on lands currently being farmed in Saskatchewan. If new land must be brought into production, appropriate and real mitigation needs to occur, similar to the requirements placed on other industries.

Our next provincial government needs to invest in green infrastructure programming, allowing more farms to take advantage of the natural systems they are working to protect. This should be coupled with a vigorous mitigation program that balances development with protection of natural systems. Green infrastructure and appropriate mitigation will make Saskatchewan farms even more sustainable and will allow Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector to grow and prosper.

Michael Champion, PAg
Ducks Unlimited

Letter to The Editor Western Producer, Oct 22nd

[furrowtickler]

Are they willing to pay farmers to leave what they call wetlands ?? Or just force us to leave every pothole for their duckies?
That needs to be clear .
Duck people should not be forcing ag policies, JMO . But unfortunately as usual , we don’t have a single Ag group worthwhile at this time

[bucket]

Looks like DU trying to find a way to extract more funding from government....DU in this area are a very incompetent bunch of fools..

They built a cheap system ( which is their MO ) of controlling the water supposedly for marshes....it never worked that way and now they want to go to fill and spill which is counter to all their other nonsense...

Now couple that with WSA who will approve fill and spill and you end up with High Street in Moose Jaw being flooded like 1974 eventually.....

Idiotic...the most frustrating part is trying to tell them what is happening and what could happen.....

Very poorly managed and has been for 30 years...

PFRA built structure to last many decades....DU was permitted by the government to destroy them and put in with cheap culverts and stop log structures...

DU and NCC are land aggregators ....not conservationists like they promote...

If you sell land to them you will be renting back forever and in the end you have nothing...no land and no money as it went to rent back what you owned... Guys fall for this shit....most recently at Buffalo Pound lake....

[seldomseen]

I believe that's why Saskfsa was formed so someone was representing farmers at the table when water policy is being developed and not just Duck crazy people.

[farmaholic]

I am not anti bush clearing or anti draining. But you have to wonder. We are "typically" drier than alot of areas of the Prairies. We have basically cleared the whole Ghetto of bush. Just a very small pasture we have that part could be broke and cleared. Did some landscaping to consolidate or move water, but quite minor.

We are kinda knob and kettle country. But when you take out every bush, drain a bunch of potholes.....are we not contributing to the dryness? Seems when there is no water in the area or "upwind", it's pretty hard to prime the pump to develop an environment to promote precipitation. Seems rain systems "evaporate" as they enter the dry area.

That could be a micro look at things. On a grander scale cycles establish themselves, wet and dry. But you got to wonder if we're contributing to the dry cycle. That's almost the same as saying man is contributing to global warming, or is it the same.

Sometimes it rains too much, sometimes not enough.

[bucket]

DU and NCC extracted 100 million in the last federal budget to buy land competing against actual farmers and ranchers.

[walterm]

I am not anti bush clearing or anti draining. But you have to wonder. We are "typically" drier than alot of areas of the Prairies. We have basically cleared the whole Ghetto of bush. Just a very small pasture we have that part could be broke and cleared. Did some landscaping to consolidate or move water, but quite minor.

We are kinda knob and kettle country. But when you take out every bush, drain a bunch of potholes.....are we not contributing to the dryness? Seems when there is no water in the area or "upwind", it's pretty hard to prime the pump to develop an environment to promote precipitation. Seems rain systems "evaporate" as they enter the dry area.

That could be a micro look at things. On a grander scale cycles establish themselves, wet and dry. But you got to wonder if we're contributing to the dry cycle. That's almost the same as saying man is contributing to global warming, or is it the same.

Sometimes it rains too much, sometimes not enough.

Old saying "Takes water to make rain" meaning if you drain all those pot holes or get a prolonged draught it is less likely to rain.

[6V53]

The bad news is when you drain wetlands and clear bush massive amounts of CO2 are released.


Chuck don't let facts get in the way of your horse shit. a slough gives off CH4 and when drained becomes a carbon sink.

PS. CH4 is 84 times worse than CO2 as a green house gas.

[Rareearth]

The growing crop provide more moisture/ respiration than a pond does