Agriculture committee  That's a very good point and an excellent question. In fact, we do a lot to encourage grain corn and soybean production in the east. However, these grains are often grown by people who specialize in this sector. But in some sectors, such as dairy and pork production, producers also sometimes grow other products that they need on the farm.

Agriculture committee  I think there should be incentives for introducing rotations. There are already local programs that encourage the adoption of green fertilizers, which would be a good incentive. Producers should be rewarded for taking initiatives in this direction, because the gains are only seen in the long term.

Agriculture committee  Right now, there is quite a dilemma. I don't know to what extent this applies to the rest of Canada, but in Quebec, the Agrologists Act has just been amended. Agronomists could receive a percentage on the sale of fertilizers or pesticides. At the same time, they provided advice.

Agriculture committee  The weight, the axle load, should be reduced to less than three tonnes per wheel, according to the latest expert recommendations. Earlier you mentioned the analyses. There are good databases for chemical parameters, but there is very little measurement of chemical and microbiological parameters in soils.

Agriculture committee  Regarding Mr. Epp's question, right now we have very few biodiversity assessments. However, metagenomic techniques are increasingly available. Since we are not monitoring the situation, it's as if we didn't have statistics on the health of individuals. It's very difficult to develop public policy based on a picture that is inaccurate.

Agriculture committee  When the soil becomes compacted, the amount of air inside the soil is reduced. Initially, microbes use oxygen, but when they run out of oxygen, they start to take nitrogen from the soil and use it to breathe. At this point, they emit either nitrogen gas, N2, or nitrous oxide, N2O.

Agriculture committee  I can't comment on the value, because I'm not a carbon expert. Soils in eastern Canada, so in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, are worked under very wet conditions. This is also the case for soils in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. In general, soils in the east become much more sensitive to compaction than soils in the west, where there are greater water deficits.

Agriculture committee  As Dr. Bedard‑Haughn mentioned earlier, better monitoring and access to databases are needed. That can be problematic. It's very difficult to negotiate that, because private data, particularly on farms, are not consistent. In addition, they can also be subject to significant financial interests and even put the health of a business at risk.

Agriculture committee  That's a very good question. Agriculture in the east and agriculture in the west are very different, because of the very different climates and because of the different types of soils. It is obviously very difficult to have a uniform criterion. As Ms. Bedard‑Haughn made very clear, these parameters need to be regionalized, because the types of production environments are very different from one another, so the targets need to be adapted regionally to reflect this reality.

Agriculture committee  It hasn't been measured very consistently, and that's the problem. More monitoring should be done to assess long-term productivity losses associated with soil erosion. There haven't been enough studies on the subject. Some were done in the 1980s, but they need to be updated. Another problem is that tractors are getting bigger all the time.

Agriculture committee  We need to reduce the size of equipment and accelerate automation. That way, smaller independent units will be able to move around the field and better assess soil quality prior to tilling. Of course, we're talking about long-term measurement. Results are expected on a 5‑ to 10‑year scale, but the way of the future is truly automation.

Agriculture committee  The laboratories have been dismantled and we need to do more. Last week, we surveyed farmers as part of a study we're doing. They aren't fully aware of the environmental and productivity gains they could make if they adopted better practices. One reason for that is they don't put enough financial resources into this type of monitoring.

Agriculture committee  I spoke a great deal about the importance of transfer mechanisms. In many cases, the most effective way to do it is to get testimonials by producers from model farms that have adopted these new methods. Of course, it's done in cooperation with research teams who provide real, on‑the‑ground data confirming that these changes work.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much for the invitation to appear before your committee this morning. I am a professor at Université Laval. I've worked on soil structure in Quebec, Ontario and throughout North America, which has given me a bird's-eye view of soil health based on observations that have been made.