Quebec’s provincial ag department and the farmers’ direct-seeding group Action semis direct have set up a certification program tying livestock and eggs to direct-seeded feed crops.
The group will expand its Terre vivante program to certify grain-fed veal, young pigeon and table eggs as having been produced using grain produced under zero-tillage, in which crops are seeded directly into the previous fall’s stubble.
Action semis direct touts direct seeding as a way to protect Quebec farmland from soil losses due to wind or water erosion, and from compaction and acidification.
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The group over the past year has sought to bring livestock feed into the Terre vivante program, thereby bringing "more land to the table" than would be certified through food-crop production alone.
Action semis direct president Jocelyn Michon said in a provincial release Thursday that the goal of the Terre vivante program is to add value to farm products.
The new aspect of its program allows farmers to market meats and eggs that leave "the smallest ecological footprint possible," he said.
The certification program requires crop producers to register acres to the program and commit them to direct seeding for a minimum of three years.
