Stewie …. C’mon man 🙄

[AlbertaFarmer5]

All the major ag manufacturers are looking at non fossil fuel options for powering equipment.

Hydrogen is the most likely candidate. But electric has a fit on many of the worlds small farms.

And the number one fossil energy input into crop production by far is nitrogen fertilizer. Roughly 50%.

Ammonia can be made using renewable energy. There is larger sized farm at Sperling Manitoba piloting an on farm ammonia plant using solar PV.

Producing your own ammonia and hydrogen on farm? Very independent minded farmers will never go for that will they?

They would rather buy it from a big, near monopoly input supplier who likes to jackup the price on a whim?

Nitrogen can definitely be produced from unreliable solar or wind generation, instead of from fossil fuels. At what cost is yet to be seen. I've stated in the past, that this is likely the best possible fit for unreliable generation.

But what about the Sulfur component of fertilizer? Where will we obtain that from if the NFU achieves it's goal of eliminating fossil fuels? Do they have any position on this matter? Offer any solutions?

[furrowtickler]

Nitrogen can definitely be produced from unreliable solar or wind generation, instead of from fossil fuels. At what cost is yet to be seen. I've stated in the past, that this is likely the best possible fit for unreliable generation.

But what about the Sulfur component of fertilizer? Where will we obtain that from if the NFU achieves it's goal of eliminating fossil fuels? Do they have any position on this matter? Offer any solutions?

They want to cut all fert out , nitrogen is just the low hanging fruit . But very soon , biologicals will cut N requirements and keep large scale farms profitable….. that’s why that crowd ignores it.

Bio Sul is a very effective sulfur source. Plus it’s made with compost which should be front and Center for the enviro crowd . But it’s ignored cause that crowd has no clue

Remember, they believe regen ag is the wave of the future. But that wave crashes when the same part of the green crowd wants desperately to eliminate livestock production. Without livestock regen ag will be dead in the water , and so will crops without fertilizer.
Organic is fine until they get overrun with weeds , then the land becomes useless.
You can grow cover crops great but in short growing seasons and limited moisture cover crops will completely have the opposite effect .
There are products out there that will build soil structure much more effectively and on a wide scale quickly than Gabe Brown's method , products like Crop Aid Plus . But again ignored cause most don’t have a clue , they just want hobby farms period.
Gabe would be screwed without livestock. Does it work , yup he proves it , but in way longer growing seasons and much higher rainfall areas . It is not and never will be an all in everywhere farming technique.
Certain localized pockets … yup .

[AlbertaFarmer5]

As you noted, Bio-sul is recycled sulfur. A great idea, but considering all the uses for sulfur in modern industries, and all of the leaks in the food chain which can not be recycled, we still need to extract massive amounts of new S. And the only significant source is as a byproduct of fossil fuels, specifically sour oil and gas. Eliminate those, and there are no affordable scalable alternatives as of today.
For example, how could we recover and recycle the sulfur used in the gunpowder which the warmongers are happily exploding all over Ukraine right now?

And no, I don't really expect Chuck or the NFU who fail to comprehend the simple concept of photosynthesis to understand anything about nutrient cycling.

[WiltonRanch]

As you noted, Bio-sul is recycled sulfur. A great idea, but considering all the uses for sulfur in modern industries, and all of the leaks in the food chain which can not be recycled, we still need to extract massive amounts of new S. And the only significant source is as a byproduct of fossil fuels, specifically sour oil and gas. Eliminate those, and there are no affordable scalable alternatives as of today.
For example, how could we recover and recycle the sulfur used in the gunpowder which the warmongers are happily exploding all over Ukraine right now?

And no, I don't really expect Chuck or the NFU who fail to comprehend the simple concept of photosynthesis to understand anything about nutrient cycling.

I swear there’s copious amounts of devils lettuce consumption at nfu conventions and probably by members in the comfort of their homes because of the lunatic shit they come up with. Nazis ran on meth and heroin, soviets vodka, tree hugger eco warriors weed.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

All the major ag manufacturers are looking at non fossil fuel options for powering equipment.

Yes, for example Allis Chalmers has been working on commercializing a hydrogen powered tractor since 1951. At this breakneck pace, we should be all fully converted to hydrogen powered tractors sometime in the next four or five generations.
That sounds like the kind of expedited solution one would look for to solve an existential crisis such as the climate emergency.

And Allis Chalmers wasn't alone, I seem to recall the other majors also working on this technology during that era.
It's almost as if the market has established that fossil fuels are still the most cost-effective way to power mobile equipment.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

John Kerry:

"Agriculture contributes about 33% of all the emissions of the world. And we can’t get to net zero—we don’t get this job done—unless agriculture is front and centre as part of the solution."

"You just can’t continue to both warm the planet, while also expecting to feed it. It doesn’t work. So we have to reduce emissions from the food system."

What is the NFU's opinion on this Chuck? Do they agree with Kerry?

[biglentil]

I swear there’s copious amounts of devils lettuce consumption at nfu conventions and probably by members in the comfort of their homes because of the lunatic shit they come up with. Nazis ran on meth and heroin, soviets vodka, tree hugger eco warriors weed.

One thing I know they consume is the cult of 'the science' which is anything but actual science. Ie) more than two genders, men can have babies, global warming, the pandemic....

[chuckChuck]

You guys still struggling with the fact that most voters don't agree with your regressive glass half full view of the world? LOL

Even in good old Alberta nearly half the voters voted NDP. And the province is installing massive amounts of solar and wind energy.

Danny Smith and Crypto Polly both say climate change is real and they plan on cutting emissions.

Agrisilly home of the flat earthers and climate change deniers who cant face the future nor deal with reality.

[furrowtickler]

You guys still struggling with the fact that most voters don't agree with your regressive glass half full view of the world? LOL

Even in good old Alberta nearly half the voters voted NDP. And the province is installing massive amounts of solar and wind energy.

Danny Smith and Crypto Polly both say climate change is real and they plan on cutting emissions.

Agrisilly home of the flat earthers and climate change deniers who cant face the future nor deal with reality.

Most voters have the wool pulled over their eyes .
Yup solar and wind will provide a small percentage of intermittent power. But the “voters” have been lead to believe that will save the planet and we can eliminate fossil fuels tomorrow, like Stews rant …. Well simply started this thread to show how absurd that is .
Reality is fossil fuels must stay around for a long time yet until viable alternatives are readily available in Ag . And that won’t be for a very long time .
I laid out several things a lot of farms are doing , and I would think you’re not doing at all …… so who’s progressive ????

Being a climate change skeptic is more the term for 98% of us on agriville.

[chuckChuck]

Manitoba plans to use wind power to double or triple energy-generating capacity over next 2 decades

Future hydro-electric dams likely too costly, despite growing demand for electricity
Bartley Kives · CBC News · Posted: Jul 28, 2023 11:52 AM CDT | Last Updated: July 28

Manitoba says it needs to double or triple its electricity-generating capacity over the next two decades — and it won't build new hydroelectric dams to meet that goal.

The province plans to rely on wind farms and other forms of green power to boost generating capacity from 6,600 megawatts right now to somewhere between 10,000 and 16,000 megawatts by the 2040s, according to a new energy policy announced on Friday.

A growing demand for cleaner energy has increased demand for hydroelectric power and that demand is set to rise as more companies phase out natural gas and petroleum products, Manitoba Hydro board chair Edward Kennedy told reporters outside the Crown corporation's downtown Winnipeg headquarters.

This will force Hydro to increase its generating capacity and save more power. On the generation front, Hydro expects to rely primarily on wind power, likely by purchasing from private companies and then selling it to consumers and industrial customers.

Premier Heather Stefanson said this does not mean Manitoba Hydro is for sale.

"Manitoba Hydro will remain the sole energy provider for Manitoba. That means any private providers will always need to sell power to Hydro and rates will always be set by the Public Utilities Board," Stefanson said at the same news conference.

Sandy Riley, a former Manitoba Hydro board chair who is assisting the province with its energy policy, said Manitoba did not invest in wind power in the past because it possessed an excess of generating capacity.

That's no longer the case and there is no prospect of engaging in new hydroelectric megaprojects. The high cost of Hydro's most recently completed generating station, Keeyask on the Nelson River, makes future investments in dams highly unlikely, Kennedy said.

Canada's looming power problem is massive but not insurmountable: report

"That last generating station exceeded the cost of the book value of all of our other generating stations combined but created only 11 per cent more capacity and doubled the debt of Manitoba Hydro to $22 billion," he said.

On the savings front, Hydro said it will explore the use of battery storage to even out the high winter demand for power with the lower summer demands.

The new energy policy also calls for Manitoba Hydro to utilize "smart meters" that could charge consumers lower rates for power during off-peak hours.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew criticized this idea, characterizing it as "surge pricing."
A man in a suit flanked by a woman and a man, both in suits.
Former Manitoba Hydro board chair Sandy Riley, centre, is assisting the province with its new energy policy. (Bartley Kives/CBC)

The province's new energy strategy also calls for major investments in electricity transmission and distribution, as well as the careful selection of new industrial developments that use electricity.

Right now, the province is considering 18 energy-intensive industrial proposals that together would require 4,400 megawatts of power.

As a result, the province will give preference to industrial proposals that provide the greatest economic benefit as well as the lowest environmental impact.

"It will require a lot of nimble, careful selection of technology and investment," Kennedy said.
$3B solar-panel manufacturing campus

One of those proposals already favoured by the province is a plan by German manufacturer RCT Solutions to build a $3-billion solar panel production campus near Winnipeg.

It would employ 8,000 people and produce enough panels to generate 10 gigawatts of power — that is, 10,000 megawatts — every year.

RCT founder Peter Fath said the campus would be built out in stages, likely at a site or sites close to Winnipeg, and would eventually be powered by the panels it manufactures.

He said Manitoba is attractive because it offers carbon-neutral hydroelectric power, a lot of annual sunshine, good logistics for shipping and an abundance of ultrapure silica sand, the raw material for solar panels.

The province, however, has yet to approve a proposal by Calgary mining company Sio Silica to drill below the surface for this sand. Fath said other North American jurisdictions would compete with Manitoba for this plant if sand mining does not go ahead here.

"Our preferred choice is Manitoba and I'm totally positive that the Manitoba government, which is so supportive, will find a way to clear this licensing issue," Fath said Friday in a telephone interview from Boston.

The province signed a memorandum of understanding with RCT Solutions earlier this week. Environment and Climate Minister Kevin Klein said that does not increase pressure on him to approve Sio Silica's proposal.

The Clean Environmental Commission, Manitoba's environmental regulator, raised concerns in June that sand extraction could diminish the quality of water in an aquifer that serves as a source of drinking water for tens of thousands of Manitobans.

An Alberta miner's proposal to drill 7,200 wells near Winnipeg has rural residents on edge

Sio Silica CEO Feisal Somji said in an interview he hopes those concerns can be addressed in a licence that would require his firm to demonstrate, via testing, that its sand-extraction methods do not have adverse effects on drinking water.

The new energy policy also said the cost of making Manitoba's electricity generation entirely free of greenhouse gas emissions — right now, it's 97 per cent emissions-free — would be inordinately expensive. Some natural gas will continue to be used in the coming decades, it envisioned.

Curt Hull, project director at Climate Change Connection, said the plan ought to envision an entirely electric future.