21 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | April 2024 days per acre. After using the planned grazing strategy, we are getting up to 90 to 120 animal days per acre,” says Cross. With multiple categories of soil carbon and different ways to sequester them, research is occurring across Canada to improve and monitor carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. Innovative approaches Traditionally, approaches to increasing soil carbon have focused on management of crops, forages, and pastures. Research at University of Guelph by Dr. Emily Chiang, an associate professor in the School of Engineering, and Dr. Rafael Santos, associate professor in Environmental Engineering, is taking another approach to improving carbon sequestration. Their enhanced rock weathering project uses minerals applied to crop land, similarly to other minerals or hard fertilizers, to increase the carbon removed from the atmosphere. “Rock weathering is a natural process and is one of the ways that the planet has been balancing carbon dioxide throughout geological time,” says Chiang. “It’s a very slow reaction, so it takes a very long time. That’s why we call our process enhanced. We would like to advance the rate of this process because human activity has been too busy releasing carbon.” Wollastonite is a mineral that is currently mined in Southern Ontario. In their research, Chiang and Santos have found that it is ideal for the enhanced rock weathering process. Although this mineral may not be as practical in Western Canada, the research demonstrates the promise for other enhanced rock weathering products in improving soil carbon sequestration. “Basically, we spread these minerals in the field and then the minerals dissolve because of plant activity and the interaction with soil and microbe. This interaction generates acid and dissolves the rock,” explains Chiang. “When the rock is dissolved, you have calcium and magnesium, and when they react with carbon dioxide, they capture it as a solid, rather than a gas.” Santos adds that rainwater also contributes to this process. “Once the mineral is dissolved in water it can do a few things. It can precipitate into inorganic solids in the soil or go down through the soil to an aquifer,” says Santos. He says the overall goal is to use the mineral to essentially develop new soil that can store carbon. Chiang says that they have begun discussions with companies and farmers to determine how this could become available in the industry. “When you talk to growers who have used these minerals, they are very happy with crop growth,” says Chiang. “We want to see carbon sequestration but want to make sure it benefits 22_0470_Poly_GrowGrp_HalfHoriz_US_MXsp Mod: October 10, 2023 4:23 PM Print: 01/19/24 page 1 v2.5 πSHIPPING SUPPLY SPECIALISTS GROWING SELECTION ALL POLY BAGS ALWAYS IN STOCK COMPLETE CATALOG 1-800-295-5510 uline.ca ORDER BY 6 PM FOR SAME DAY SHIPPING Carbon Sequestration
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