EARTH DAY 2024
SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 • SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS
6
Benchmarking the best environmental sustainability strategies for egg farms in Manitoba Egg farmers are coming together to reduce the environmental footprint of egg farms across Canada
is an ongoing sustainability program, so information from every flock in the coming years can be entered and im- provements over time can be tracked. Water, feed, energy use, trans- portation and manure are com- ponents used in the NESTT assessment to measure the sustain- ability of flocks while making na- tional and regional comparisons. Sustainability tools such as solar panels or additional insulation factor into sustainability scores as well. “NESTT can make you aware of areas that you can improve on your farm,” said Harley. “It helps you become a bet- ter farmer.” NESTT will continue to evolve, with more capabilities and tools being add- ed over time based on feedback from egg farmers, new insights and the lat- est technology. This is just one of the many ways egg farmers are moving the industry forward and building a more sustainable future. Did you know? The environmental footprint of Canada’s egg production supply chain declined by almost 50% between 1962 and 2012, while egg production increased by 50%.
Manitoba Egg Farmers
Our Vision: Our Mission:
An environmental, economic and socially responsible egg industry.
To lead a thriving and sustainable egg industry, empowering farm families for generations.
Regulated egg farmers meet high national standards for food safety and animal care.
A n innovative sustainability tool called “NESTT” has launched as the next step in Egg Farmers of Canada’s exciting announcement that egg farm- ers will achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This commit- ment builds on five decades of work to embrace research, innovation and techniques that support sustainable agricultural practices. The National Environmental Sus- tainability and Technology Tool (NESTT) is uniquely designed for all Canadian egg farmers to track, as- sess and benchmark the on-farm sus-
Harley Siemens and his family farm in Rosenort, Manitoba. All eggs in Manitoba grocery stores are locally produced by farming families like Harley’s.
tainability of their own farms. With NESTT, each egg farm’s environmental impact can be measured and compared with other farms across Manitoba and Canada. “NESTT allows farmers to see where they rank in different aspects of pro- duction and their environmental foot- print, compared to fellow producers,” said Harley Siemens, an egg farmer from Rosenort, Manitoba. “NESTT can be used to help influence management practices and decisions.” As of March 2024, more than 80 Manitoba egg farmers have completed their first NESTT assessment. NESTT
SUSTAINABILITY TIP: Add crushed eggshells to your garden!
Sandra and Eric Dyck are egg farmers in Springstein, Manitoba and have solar panels on their farm to offset
electricity costs and positively impact the environment. You can buy eggs from their farm and other local family farms wherever eggs are sold in Manitoba. Regulated egg farmers meet high national standards for food safety and animal care.
Eggshells make a good addition to compost piles and garden soil. Eggshells act as a physical barrier against pests in the garden. The shells also provide calcium and can help increase pH levels in soil, as some plants including lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and beans prefer alkaline soil.
Earth Day ad 2024.indd 1
4/16/2024 11:51:09 AM
Powered by FlippingBook