Okay, I can reply.
I think we see Bill C-18 as a modernization of several acts, bringing our country into line with the international convention. Of course, plant breeders' rights have been very much discussed already this morning. I think the key interest farmers have in that subject matter is access to new varieties. I look at my own farm, where I never grew soybeans at all 10 years ago. In the last three years, one third of my farm has been used for soybean production.
Now, this has given me many opportunities not just for profitability but also for reducing my nitrogen fertilizer use. It has given me rotational options away from canola to deal with potential disease pressure from over-growing canola. Some farms have grown canola, because it's so lucrative, far too often. Now we have an interruption in the cycle, with soybeans as an alternative oilseed crop, reducing our exposure to not just disease but also weed pressure. By using different herbicide systems, we've been able to manage weed resistance. I do other things on my farm, like growing forage seeds, for that same reason.
We're looking at sustainability. That's the name of the game on our farm. My family started farming in Canada in 1903, and I want us to be able to continue farming for many years into the future. It's only through being a good steward of the environment and the land that we're going to be able to do that.
These are things that are going to be facilitated by Bill C-18 for farmers in Manitoba.
