Vernon Campbell is a firm believer in the value of pollinator mixes to help promote biodiversity on his Grahams Road farm. Pollinator mixes encompass a variety of plant species from a minimum of three and up to twelve typically. Some common plants grown in pollinator mixes include oats, vetches, alfalfa,[…]
Agriculture
Potato Industry Sustainability
A Major Step to Improve Sustainability by Potato Industry Potato growers, processors, grower organizations, and national potato and horticultural councils from across Canada and the U.S. are breaking ground to create a single program to improve the sustainability of potato production. The Potato Sustainability Initiative uses a survey of 105[…]
Agr-Environmental Partnerships
Growing Sustainable Agr-Environmental Partnerships in PEI Kensington North Watersheds Association and local farmers are working together for a sustainable agriculture system in PEI. On Monday March 12th in the Crop Insurance building in Kensington local agriculture producers met for the annual Kensington North Farmers meeting. A successful turnout with over[…]
Healthy Soils, Profitable Farms
The collective knowledge of our soils on PEI has revealed some trends that are causing some alarm and encouraging farmers to review soil management practices. For several years, soil organic matter levels have been decreasing across the province, according to the 2012 Soil Quality Monitoring Report (Link: www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/af_sw_soilq2012.pdf). Soil organic matter[…]
Oilseed Radish
Improving Soil Health with Oilseed Radish Soil compaction is a concern for many farms, as heavy machinery contributes to forming a hardpan that roots have difficulty penetrating. Compacted soil also does not permit sufficient amounts of air to be in contact with roots. Cover crops assist farmers by suppressing weeds,[…]
CleanFARMS Program
CleanFARMS means a Cleaner Environment Farmers in the Maritimes are leading the agricultural sector in collecting and disposing of obsolete farm chemicals, livestock medications, and seed bags in a safe manner. The CleanFARMS program was created in 1998 to develop and promote work that had first started in the Maritimes[…]
Satellite Technology Assisting Farmers
Satellite Technology Assisting Farmers with Environmental Solutions It’s an impressive site, a potato field with rows perfectly straight from one end to the other. It takes a good operator to run a potato planter, but they have some assistance in achieving those bullet straight rows. The same Global Position Satellites[…]
ALUS
Alternate Land Use Services (ALUS) The majority of land on PEI is owned by farmers. With this land, farmers not only grow food and are the largest sector of the PEI economy: farmers are also providing our communities with environmental services. In order to minimize the impact of agriculture on[…]
Modern Farm Stream Crossings
The level of respect that farmers have for streams and wetlands (riparian zones) on farms is increasing as our communities become aware of the important role they play in our ecosystem. A riparian zone is the name given to the ecosystem where dry land and water meet. It is an[…]
Helping our Soil with Cover Crops
Cover crops are an essential tool that farmers use to reduce erosion and build soil. On PEI, a cover crop is usually planted in a field following a harvest, usually late in the growing season (September or October). PEI has soft, sandy soils that are ideal for growing a wide[…]