Soils 2050 Where can we go

from here?

Don McCabe November 21, 2017 Soil and Soil Health

Latornell Conservation Symposium

Soils 2050 Where can we go from here?

OR Providing Sustainability in a Low Carbon Economy with a

Future of Precision Agriculture Don McCabe

November 21, 2017 Soil and Soil Health

Latornell Conservation Symposium

Presentation Outline • Sustainability • Definition of a Farmer • Ag’s Possibilities

•Man — despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments — owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. •Paul Harvey

Sustainability • Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March

20, 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

• Difficult concept due to interactions

Environment

Society

Economy

Food vs Fuel Soils

Jobs New Ag

Markets Based on

Renewables

Carbon/ Climate Change

Sustainability in the Media

Environmental Concern

Goals, Targets, Needs

• Feed 9 billion by 2050 • Global warming, low carbon economy • 30Mt reduction in GHG’s with low carbon

fuels by 2030 • Canada’s GHG’s target in 2030 compared to

2005 baseline • Halt urban sprawl • Phosphorous

Paris Climate Change Talks • Greenhouse gases are part of sustainability

metrics • World Business Council on Sustainable

Development has clearly stated its views on going to low carbon technologies

• Some are directly involved in ag supply chains (eg. Pepsico, Kelloggs’s, Dupont, Monsanto etc.) or retailers to consumers at the end of the chain

• Walmart launched Project Gigaton April 19,2017.

World Business Council on Sustainable Development Members

What Does Sustainability Look Like On My Farm?

2008 soybeans, 2009 winter wheat, 2007 corn cobs

November 2008

Everything in this slide has a price point to market Combine and Head (AGCO) Corn (CBOT) Stalks and Cobs (Value chain cooperative or commodity pricing?)

What Saved Mankind?

Introduction of Technology

Definition of A Farmer

Definition of a Farmer

• Cash crop • Corn, soybeans, wheat farmer • Beef farmer • Fruit and vegetable producer • Egg producer • Pineapple plantation • Or……..

Definition of a Farmer • Manager of carbon and nitrogen cycles with input

from the water cycle to produce starch, oil, protein, fuel, fiber and energy for world wide consumers at the highest quality.

The Canadian Biosphere

Priority #1 - Feed markets

that feed, clothe, power and build the world.

- Logistics and markets exist.

- Global competition means constant improvement to meet price points.

Prioritizing or Meeting Markets?

Priority #2 - Feed the soil life

- The engines of the C

& N cycles.

- Soil quality is the result

Soil Equation to Soil System

• Jenny’s Equation for soil formation – Soil=f(cl,pm,r,o,t)

– Soil is a function of

climate, parent material, topography, biota and time

• Farmers are managers of the carbon and nitrogen cycles.

• Biota and time are the factors that can be managed here.

Priority #3 SUSTAINABLE ag residue removal for composites, chemicals, fuels and energy

IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT!

http://www.biobased-society.eu/2013/02/respectful-treatment-of-the-complexity-of-biomass/

•80% of Ontario soybeans and corn within 200km

We are doing it! Sarnia BioHybrid Cluster

Bio/Renewable Based • BioAmber • Cargill • Enbridge • Greenfield Ethanol • Methes Energy • KmX • Solutions4CO2 • Suncor Ethanol • Woodland Biofuels

Fossil Based

• Air Products • BP Energy • CF Industries • DuPont • Ethyl Corporation • Exxon-Mobil • LANXESS • NOVA Chemicals • Ontario Power

Generation • Pembina • Praxair • Royal Dutch Shell • Styrolution • Suncor Energy • TransAlta Energy

26 Sandy Marshall

"Based on the first term of funding it is evident that BIC is becoming an organization that will create a legacy for Canada in the bioindustrial and bioinnovation sectors." Mayor Mike Bradley Sarnia, Ontario

•

Meanwhile……….Sustainability • Profit, Planet and People • Canadian farmers are active stewards

• Integrated waste management

Enhancing Biological GHG Mitigation in Canada 28

Opp

ortu

nitie

s Strategic Carbon Management

Precision Agriculture

Farm Level

https://image.slidesharecdn.com/tssg-precisionagriculturestepanivanov-160127115230/95/driving-sustainable-food-production-with-precision-agriculture-3-638.jpg?cb=1453895712

TECHNOLOGIES TO CONNECT YOUR ENTIRE ENTERPRISE.

The Big Data Revolution in Agriculture

33 Courtesy of K. Haugen-Kozyra, Viresco Soultions

All of these technologies will build on baseline soil data to enhance productivity and sustainability

Case Study – AgSolver:

35

Case Study – AgSolver:

36

Case Study – AgSolver:

37

Low Cost-Low Touch Verification Systems

• With satellites coming on line: • Coverage at least twice a week • Year two: Close to daily coverage • Year three: Potentially multiple images each

day • Satellite Specifications

• 1 meter multispectral, 1 meter panchromatic video (DEM capabilities), 30 meter hyperspectral, 90 meter thermal

• Other Smallsat alternatives may be evaluated

38

* Most of these data sets are freely available, keeping costs lower.

Applied Geo-Solutions Products

• Our system provides detailed maps of crop residue cover and cover crops:

39

Tillage in Fall & Spring

Annually Farm-field,

county, & watershed level

Uncertainty maps Trends Continuous no-till

• Tillage practice • Cover crop compliance • Crop types and acreages

Basic Analysis

Advanced Analysis

• Cover crop type • Disturbance levels • Percent Residue • Biomass levels as they relate to carbon sequestration • Continued monitoring of carbon cycle in project fields.

Types of Analyses –w/ Satellites and Drones

Algae Blooms in Lake Erie

Who to blame? Government Action & Targets (Binational, Provinces & States, Ontario, Michigan and Ohio) Silver bullet or buckshot available? Yes to buckshot!

Aggregation to Answers

Supply Chain Engagement Cooperating Farms

Identification of Key Performance Indicators: eg. • Water footprint • Energy footprint • GHG footprint • Animal Welfare

Data Management System • Efficient, common data gathering • On-farm monitoring installed • Web-based, App-assisted

Algorithms and QA/QC • Analytical programs to

convert data into key metrics

• Ongoing monitoring • Dashboard development • Data integrity scrubs

Performance Reporting • Benchmarking • Testing • Training modules

Data Management supporting Better Decisions and New Markets

Capturing Canada’s Green Advantage: Biosphere Solutions

CO2

Fossil Fuels

Biomass

(N2O, CH4)

SEQUESTER Atmospheric C & solar energy into biomass.

REDUCE CH4 & N2O associated with biosphere management

ADAPT biosphere to changing climate & atmosphere

…

… the improved management and use of our biological cycles to provide environmental values, energy, chemicals and materials (the Bioeconomy) in addition to food, feed and fibre.

COMPLEMENT fossil energy (& chemicals, materials) with biomass

Only Farmers, Forester’s and Ranchers Can Do It ALL!

Global Warming Protest In Canada

Doing it all! Canadian farmers manage the natural resources.

Measure to Manage to Markets

Graphic from http://www.iea-bioenergy.task42-biorefineries.com/

http://biofuels.dupont.com/uploads/pics/feedstock-square2.jpg

THANK YOU!