Karin Wittenberg and the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment

Thursday morning at the Legislature, Karin Wittenberg talked about the new National Centre of Livestock and the Environment which is being developed at the University of Manitoba's Glenlea Research Station just south of Winnipeg.

Karin talked about the Centre's plans to study the long term effects of intensive lifestock production on health and the environment including on odour, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions and fertilizer use. The goal is to develop environmentally sustainable livestock production practices.

Wittenberg emphasized that reducing phosphorous run-off into Manitoba's waterways is not as simple as some believe. It was believed that minimum till fields have less phosphrous run-off than regular till fields. However, careful research at the Tobacco Creek site in southern Manitoba has shown that minimum till fields have more phosphorous run-off into adjacent waterways than regular till fields. Clearly it is important to know precisely the effects of changes in agricultural practice before making provincial regulations.