The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan

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When it's not a matter of legislation, deciding on the frequency of cleaning equipment is often a matter of risk assessment, says Pauly. Developing an EFP can help producers make these choices. "An EFP helps producers walk through their operations and identify environmental risks and opportunities for improvement.

Each of those producers clearly had different needs. As we completed that article and reviewed the material with producers, one of them, Marc Pizandawatc of Cochrane, Alta. added these comments about his EFP experience that applies to many producers, and speaks to the role EFP technicians across the province provide.

McCain's approach has been to monitor for existing approaches that can help get the job done, have some traction with producers already and are adaptable for the future. "What we've chosen to do on this front in Canada is to use a tool that already exists, works well and that we know producers are using, which can be used to whatever extent needed to try to meet our customers' requirements.

The Alberta potato industry has sprinted out of the starting gate in championing environmental stewardship programs and using that process to strengthen its brand. Part of that is the approach the industry has taken to make it mandatory for all potato producers to complete an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). That effort is already paying dividends with top customers worldwide such as McDonald's Corporation and Wal-Mart.

One of the real benefits of the EFP was that it was something producers could do themselves if they were willing to spend the time, and they didn't have to hire a consultant. That thinking has to be an element of whatever we are doing because a 30,000 head feedlot can afford to hire a consultant or already have one engaged but a small producer does not have those resources.

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