Welcome to this edition of The Protector The Soil Conservation Council of Canada’s mission is to promote the conservation and enrichment of Canada’s soils and related resources for the benefits of present and future generations. It is my honour to serve as the President of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) at this time to bring a voice to how Canadian farmers are leaders in these areas. Over the past year, SCCC has taken the message of soil conservation to many national and international venues. To start, I want to highlight two international meetings. The first was the Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change in The Hague, Netherlands. The second meeting was the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico for the 16th Conference of the Parties. Both of these meetings have influence on the eventual policies that will be part of international agreements on climate change. There is no better information for these policies to be established with, than the leading edge actions of Canadian farmers. On the national scene, SCCC has been actively engaged in government consultations for climate change mitigation and adaptation, migratory bird risk assessment, and water. In all cases, the voluntary approach to stewardship must be raised over command and control regulatory mechanisms. Also, the need to highlight that research and educational monies invested in conservation agriculture will pay much more dividends than any other approach With our neighbour to the south now looking at climate change and energy policy, SCCC has been

asked to attend various meetings for consultation and speaking roles. With SCCC’s past involvement in protocol development in Canada, these policy methods need to be shared to ensure a North American market that recognizes Canadian principles. Sustainability is becoming the new standard to

public scrutiny, and attempts at its measurement are being established by various multinational corporate entities, and government departments. SCCC is determined to ensure the producer’s voice is heard in these deliberations. It must be understood that soil conservation actions are not to be taken for granted, but must be properly recognized financially and with long term commitment.

SCCC is always searching for new ways to bring educational opportunities back to the countryside through our

“Taking Charge” teams. You will see some of the various accomplishments highlighted in later articles of this newsletter. More importantly, it is an opportunity for the grass roots to bring forward their ideas and needs to their national voice. Let’s always ensure this is a two way street.

I want to sincerely THANK the commitment of the board of directors to making SCCC a vibrant force. Last, but certainly not least, Glen Shaw and Sue Hubbs ensure the day to day of SCCC is handled with great ability and heart. We all as members could not be better served. On behalf of the board, I will close by Thanking you for your commitment to soil conservation, and your support to the Canadian voice of soil conservation through your continued membership.

MARCH 2011

Don McCabe, President

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Optimism hits four-year high Canadian agriculture producers and agribusiness owners are feeling more optimistic about the industry than they have felt in the past four years, according to a recent FCC Vision Panel survey. Three-quarters of those surveyed (76%) say their farm or business will be better off in five years, which is a significant shift from 2009 (70%).

“Challenges in agriculture are all around us. It’s a complex industry. At the same time, when we ask about the future of agriculture in general, survey results echo what we hear from the majority of our customers. They love their work and believe that agriculture is a sector with opportunities,” says FCC President and CEO Greg Stewart.

This fourth annual study, completed with the input of farmers and entrepreneurs from all regions and sectors of Canadian agriculture, also shows that producers’ optimism for the future is influenced by their current state: more than six in 10 (67%) believe that they are better off now than they were five years ago. In addition to being optimistic, half (55%) report they plan to expand and/or diversify their farm or business in the next five years, another four-year high.

“People have to be open-minded to new technologies and opportunities that may come their way. However, it will require some hard work – there are no easy rides,” says a Vision Panel member who answered the survey.

“Weekly, I hear reasons for optimism from our employees who talk directly with producers and agribusiness owners and operators across Canada,” says FCC Chief Operating Officer Rémi Lemoine. “This optimism is the result of stronger commodity prices in most sectors, farm business expansion and growth, and the interest of young farmers. This shows me that producers have optimism about success. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be making plans for future projects and growth.”

Producers also continue to be strong advocates for careers in the agriculture industry, more so for careers in agriculture-related fields (80%) than those in primary production (64%).

“The future for agriculture is much brighter than when I started farming,” says another survey respondent. “Both my boys want to farm, and I feel it is a much better future for them.”

The survey was done as part of the FCC Vision Panel, a national research group made up of 9,000 producers and agribusiness operators from across Canada who regularly share their opinions on agriculture-related topics. Nearly 4,900 panel members participated in the survey. For more detailed findings, including comparisons by sector and province, visit www.fccvision.ca/InAction.aspx.

To learn more about the FCC Vision Panel, or to become a member, visit www.fccvision.ca or call 1-800-387-3232.

This article is reprinted by permission of Farm Credit Canada. It will appear in the March 2011 issue of FCC's magazine, AgriSuccess. For subscription information about AgriSuccess, see www.fcc-fac.ca

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Robert Thériault presenting award to Jean-Louis

The Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick (AANB) has presented Jean-Louis Daigle with the James Robb Award as 2010 agrologist of the year.

Well known in the agricultural community of New Brunswick for his vast experience and his invaluable contribution to the protection of soils and water in Eastern Canada, Jean-Louis Daigle started his career at the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, where he was responsible for the management and the coordination of technological services for land improvement, water and soil conservation and environmental stewardship.

He has been executive director of the Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre since 1998 and has been a member of several regional, provincial and national advisory committees on soil and water management, environmental planning and climate change.

Jean-Louis has been a true pioneer in the implementation of terrace cultivations systems and soil and water conservation practices in New Brunswick. He has encouraged and helped potato producers to adopt and implement sustainable production systems on their farms. Some of his colleagues and many farmers call him the soil and water conservation preacher.

An uncontested leader in the agricultural industry in New Brunswick, Jean-Louis has also been an active member and supporter of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada. In 1990 he was inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame in recognition of his dedication and outstanding contribution to soil and water conservation in Canada.

Using Aerial Imagery for Site Specific Fungicide Applications Submitted by Réjean Picard, PAg, Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives Precision agriculture applications are growing in popularity with the advancement and affordability of auto-guidance systems, mapping systems and product application equipment. Variable rate fertilization is probably the most popular application in precision agriculture. A more recent application to the variety of precision agriculture technologies available is the use of remote sensing to create prescription maps for the application of fungicides to crops during the growing season. Applying fungicides to match the disease risk in growing crops offers the opportunity to reduce pesticide load into the environment, reduce costs to the growers while maintaining productivity and improving the economic return to the producer.

Satellite, planes or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) can be used to take imagery to help identify management zones based on biomass and crop density. The imagery can be processed and used within days of the picture taken to identify areas with higher and lower disease risk in a field. Using an infra-red camera for image taking, the difference from the imagery is represented as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). These zones represent areas of high, medium and low biomass and are then used to create zones for variable rate fungicide application.

Jean-Louis Daigle – 2010 Agrologist of the Year

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Above, natural and NDVI images of canola field at early bolt stage. The high image resolution provides for very refined zone delimitation.

In 2010, to evaluate the use of aerial imagery for the purpose of fungicide application, we contracted an operator of a UAV to take low altitude (2000 feet), high resolution natural and infra-red imagery, 7 to 10 days before the appropriate crop staging for the application of a fungicide. UAV can provide producers with the ability to collect real time high resolution imagery of a growing crop and the generation of a prescription map for the application of a fungicide that corresponds to the zones in the field.

Below, UAV used in 2010. This unit has an eight feet wing span propelled by a battery powered engine. Flight time is 20 to 30 minutes over a quarter section of land. The cameras are mounted under the wings near the body of the plane.

In 2010, 7 cooperators participated in the project in three geographical areas of Manitoba. The precipitation during the growing season was much higher than normal in most of Manitoba which in some cases caused severe moisture stress on crops to the point where inputs like fungicides were not justified.

Due to a variety of challenges, we were unable to have any of our cooperators fields treated according to a prescription map based on the UAV imagery. However, to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology we asked participants to leave check strips with no treatment (zero rate) and to measure crop yield in treated and check areas across different management zones. Most

cooperators were equipped with yield monitor capability on their harvesting equipment. The resulting yield maps were compared to the management zones generated using aerial images taken earlier to assess the relationship between the crop biomass and yield potential. Our database of results is limited at this point. For 2011, we hope to repeat the project under hopefully closer to normal conditions and add to the results collected so far.

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Membership Application Soil Conservation Council of Canada

Box 998, Indian Head, Sask. S0G 2K0 (306) 695-2231

$35.00/year Name ________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________

City/Town _______________________Prov. ____________________Postal Code ____________

Email Address: ____________________________________________

There are about 9,500,000 acres of annual crop production in Manitoba. Wheat (HRS and WW) and canola represent the large majority of those acres (3.0 MM and 3.2 MM respectively in 2009, MAFRI source). Crop yield varies within the field depending on a variety of factors such as moisture, fertility, crop stand, pests and more. To apply a blanket rate of an input across fields is being replaced by more precise applications of input that require new tools to indentify and measure variability within a field. Site specific pesticide application can reduce the total amount of fungicide applied to crops and therefore reduce the load to the environment while maintaining or improving productivity.

Funding for this project was provided by the Canada and Manitoba Governments under Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, as well as the Pembina Valley Conservation District.

Thanks to our 2010 Corporate Members

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Ducks Unlimited Canada

CropLife Canada Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA)

John Deere Limited Eastern Canada Soil & Water Conservation Centre (ECSWCC)

Abbotsford Soil Conservation Assoc Alberta Conservation Tillage Society (ACTSII)

Canadian Fertilizer Institute Innovative Farmers Assoc of Ontario Inc (IFAO)

Newfoundland & Labrador Federation of Agriculture New Brunswick Soil & Crop Improvement Association Inc (NBSCIA)

Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Prince Edward Island Soil and Crop Improvement Association (PEISCIA) Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SSCA)

Soil & Crop Improvement Association of Nova Scotia (SCIANS) Pembina Valley Conservation District (PVCD) Whitemud Watershed Conservation District

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Submitted by Glen Shaw PAg

Consumers, retailers and industry certification organizations are pushing for environmental accounting and measurements for assessing the environmental impact of food production. There is growing public concern about health, food safety and the environment. It appears that retailers such as Wal-Mart, McDonalds and Loblaw’s want to maintain or increase market share through a commitment to environmental sustainability. It could be viewed as an attempt to improve the productivity of the supply chain and drive down a retailer’s costs.

In August of 2010 Anielski Management Inc. completed a literature review and analysis of Environmental Footprinting for the Environmental Stewardship Division of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. The Alberta project is part of a federally funded project on Environmental Footprinting Opportunities in Agriculture. Environmental Footprinting is a fairly new concept that refers to the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and the use of inputs such as energy, nutrients, pesticides, water, and land use impacts in agriculture and food production.

There are a number of methodologies and environmental assessment tools that utilize different approaches and inputs to come up with an environmental footprint for products. There are weaknesses in many of the current assessment tools. For example there is a lack of scientifically based protocols for measurement, qualifying and reporting environment benefits at the farm level. However there is a lot of work being carried out by industry and governments to fill the gaps in the assessment tools. One of the biggest drawbacks is the lack of on-farm data or access to the data.

For a number of years farmers and commodity groups have been investigating the potential for price premiums from the market through certification of production and the environmental stewardship practices. Except for certified organic producers and some speciality products, the market place has not rewarded many farmers with price premiums or incentives. What does this emerging environmental assessment and reporting mean to Canadian farmers? Some retailers are developing performance scorecards for their suppliers that will ultimately extend to farmers that provide the commodity. Will this competition drive down commodity prices for the farmer? It will most likely mean increased costs of keeping more detailed records and reporting on the performance of all farm operations. Will it lead to price competition with the neighbour on the farm’s environmental performance?

Farmers need to become informed and understand the potential impacts of environmental footprinting for agriculture. Knowledge of all aspects of the production and marketing of farm products will help farmers respond to the emerging demands for environmental reporting. Farmers need to be prepared to measure and assess all farm inputs, monitor performance and ensure that their farm data is securely managed. Your farm information may be the most critical aspect to future market access.

Environmental Footprinting and Agriculture Sustainability

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Building Soil Organic Matter with Non-Traditional Organic Sources Submitted by, Christine Brown, Nutrient Management Lead – Field Crops, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs Building organic matter levels in the soil takes a long time. Small increases or decreases may not be readily observed, but when levels in the soil get too low, the negative impact on crop yield and profitability is significant. Regardless of its source, organic matter plays an important role in maintaining a healthy, productive soil. It:

• feeds the micro organism populations, improving soil life diversity

• improves soil aggregation • increases nutrient cycling and the ability to

hold some nutrients • improves water holding capacity, and finally, • increases soil resilience against compaction

and wind and water erosion There are many sources of organic carbon that will help build soil organic matter. In addition to manure and cover crops, there are other sources of organic amendments available to cash crop farms. Some of these sources include biosolids pellets, municipal green-bin compost, digestate from anaerobic digestion systems as well as sewage biosolids, and pulp and paper biosolids. Each of these amendments will provide benefit to the soil, but each product has a slightly different composition. Which organic matter source or amendment has the best fit for your operation?

Some organic amendments, such as Biosolids Pellets are restricted to lower rates based on micro nutrients or other parameters (lime to correct low pH). Others, such as worm castings, are currently too expensive to consider applying to field crops at desired rates.

Organic amendments will help to build soil organic matter, however it takes a long time.

Organic amendments add carbon, however only about 20% is considered stable carbon and potentially measured in a soil test as organic matter. The organic matter (especially from cover crop additions) adds sugars, proteins, polyphenols and hemicellulose that provides a feast for the soil micro organisms and provide increased activity in nutrient cycling. Cellulose, lignin and humus are more stable forms of carbon and in the long term are more likely to be measured in the soil.

Assuming a clay loam soil with 3% organic matter level, and just returning all the crop residue from a corn-soybean-wheat rotation back to the soil, it would take about 180 years (assuming no erosion) to increase the soil organic matter from 3 to 4 percent. Where red clover is used as a cover crop after wheat and assuming a 2.5 DM ton/ acre return, the length of time to increase the SOM by 1% would be decreased to about 110 years. Generally, organic amendments applied once in rotation will supply as much carbon as the residue returned for the rotation. Adding organic matter from manure (30 tons/ac) or compost (15 tons/ac) will reduce the time required to raise SOM by half compared to just returning the crop residue.

There are options for increasing soil organic matter. Know what is in the organic amendment you are applying. The amendment can supply macro and micro nutrients but if care is not taken nutrient levels can become excessive or the environment may be impacted. Protect the soil from soil erosion as the soil that is lost usually has the most organic matter in it. Also, removal of crop residues such as cereal straw from the field reduces the amount of organic matter returned. Careful management and a little patience will pay off in better crops.

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Submitted by Delmar Holmstrom, Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada, Charlottetown, PEI Interest in agroforestry and new crops as well as concern over environmental/sustainability issues with steeply sloping land used for row crops resulted in the establishment of a number of demonstration/research sites across PEI starting in 2003. All projects, sponsored by PEI Soil & Crop Improvement Association (PEISCIA), were established in collaboration with private land owners. AAFC (Delmar Holmstrom – researcher) collaborated on these projects. One of the projects is evaluating the American chestnut (����������������.

Chestnuts are widely used in North America. Past usage was more extensive as the nuts served as a staple in the daily food diet of people. The nuts were gathered in the fall and dried (because chestnuts are very low in oil, they can be stored for long periods of time), ground into flour and used in making bread. Since the wood is as strong but lighter than oak and is rot resistant like cedar, chestnuts were used for a variety of purposes, including high quality furniture, shingles, home construction, flooring, piers, plywood, and utility poles. In addition, American chestnut trees reportedly grew 30% faster than oaks and once cut will regenerate from the existing stump.

Chestnuts belong to the beech family and are not related to the horse chestnut trees found locally (their nuts are in general not edible). The American chestnut trees were widespread in

eastern USA in the early 1900’s. Unfortunately, introduction of chestnut blight disease around 1900 wiped out the majority of the American chestnut trees the first half of the 20th century. Researchers began hybridization of blight resistant Asian chestnuts with American chestnuts. They hope to develop seedlings resistant to blight and retain the tree characteristics of the native American chestnut as well as its climatic tolerance. Their work continues to this day.

In the spring of 2006, an experiment was initiated at Tyne Valley, PEI to evaluate three trees - American chestnut, American chestnut hybrid (American Chestnut and Asian chestnuts) and native red oak. The chestnut seedlings were obtained from Grimo Nut Nursery in Ontario while the red oak seedlings came from the Frank Gaudet Tree Nursery in Charlottetown. The site was located in a former pasture on a moderately well drained, sandy loam to loam, till soil with compact subsoil at 50 to 60 cm below the surface. The site has a 7 to 9% easterly facing slope.

Results have been mixed. Survival rate has ranged from over 96% for the hybrid American chestnut seedlings to less than 60% for the native red oak. The American chestnuts have on average over doubled in height from 2006 while the surviving red oak increased in height over 800%. Results of this project are published by PEISCIA and can be found on the website at http://www.peiscia.ca

Chestnuts – A New Crop for PEI

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2010 Soil Conservation Council of Canada Happenings

• SCCC and the Taking Charge teams successfully completed the testing of a greenhouse calculator (Holos) developed by Agriculture and Agric-Food Canada. The calculator was evaluated by 678 farmers across Canada and recommendations were submitted to AAFC for improvements to the calculator.

• Dr. David McAndrew, an AAFC research scientist based in Morden Manitoba, was inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame. Dr. McAndrew was recognized for his leadership in the creation of three producer directed research farms to address soil conservation in Western Canada and for his innovations to cropping systems.

• For National Soil Conservation Week (NSCW) SCCC developed news articles recognizing the conservation practices of four outstanding farmers. A press release was issued to promote National Soil Conservation Week and materials were developed for the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food to announce NSCW in the House of Commons.

• SCCC represented farmer interests on the Canadian Agricultural Sustainability Dialogue, an initiative which is investigating the potential of developing a voluntary sustainability program for the agricultural sector.

• In 2010 SCCC continued to lobby for a national soil carbon offset system that would reward farmers for sequestering soil carbon and agricultural practices that reduce GHG emissions. SCCC drafted a submission to the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) on carbon offsets, continued membership on the Industry Provincial Offsets Group (IPOG) committee and President McCabe represented agricultural producers at the United Nations COP16 meetings in Cancun Mexico to press the case for international acceptance of soil carbon offsets in the reduction of GHGs

• In partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nutrients for Life, SCCC co- sponsored a breakfast for delegates to the 2010 GrowCanada conference in Ottawa. The conference, organized by CropLife Canada, provided SCCC with an opportunity to network with industry representatives and to stress the importance of supporting soil and water conservation activities.

• Farm Credit Canada became a corporate member of SCCC in 2010. • An electronic and printed version of SCCC’s newsletter, the Protector, was issued.

CONSERVATION HALL OF FAME RECIPIENTS 1990 Jean-Louis Daigle, Grand Falls, NB 2000 Jim Halford, Indian Head, SK Gordon Hilton, Strathmore, AB Gerry Willerth, Indian Head, SK 1991 Charles Baldwin, Ridgetown, ON 2001 John Toogood, Edmonton, AB Fred Bentley, Edmonton, AB 2002 Bill Poole, Winnipeg, MB 1992 Donald Lobb, Clinton, ON 2004 Glen Hass, Saskatoon, SK Clint Whetter, Deloraine, MB 2005 Odette Ménard, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC 1993 Wallace Findlay, On 2006 Robert Bradley, Brandon, MB 1995 Jack Rigby, Blenheim, ON 2007 Donald Rennie, Saskatoon, SK 1996 Wayne Lindwall, Lethbridge, AB 2008 William McCurdy, Old Barns, Nova Scotia 1997 Gary Kachanoski, Saskatoon, SK 2009 Jocelyn Michon, La Présentation, QC 1998 Garnet Berge, Dawson Creek, BC 2010 David McAndrew, Morden, MB 1999 Vernon & Bertha Campbell, Kensington, PEI

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Submitted by Sandy Burton The Peace River Forage Association invited Jill Clapperton to speak to producers on soil health last spring in Tower Lake British Columbia. Jill originally grew up in central Alberta and for many years was a Rhizosphere Ecologist with Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge, Alberta. She became legendary for her energetic work with zero till systems and soil biological processes. Jill married a rancher from the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Montana, where they raised 3 boys. She now has her own business Earth Spirit Land Resource Consulting, and works with Shepherds Grain, a group of 33 grain farmers from Idaho, Oregon and Washington, who are seeking sustainable systems and a fair price for their costs of production. They are successfully marketing grain at premium prices for their labelling with nutrients, vitamins and minerals and transparent costs of production..

The following are some of the take home messages from those in attendance;

Sandra Burton: “ Jill is a world renowned speaker on soil health. The day with Jill was a great opportunity to talk about my favourite topic, soil health and the practices to improve it”.

John and Patt Kendrew: “What we gleaned is that dirt is really soil, and hosts many microscopic but important critters. These critters make a huge difference in the composition of the soil in that they break down plant life in a series of steps creating richer soil that retains more moisture and provides nutrients for plant growth. Our understanding is that the right conditions for the critters depend on lots of litter available to them on the surface of the soil and a variety of root growth in the subsoil. It would appear that one of

the most important plants for improving the soil are the legumes such as alfalfa which can grow deep roots and fix nitrogen. Jill was very emphatic that any seeding should be done by using no-till seeding equipment. Having originally joined the Peace River Forage Association as cattle ranchers looking for ways to improve feed for the cattle, we have been re-organized into grass ranchers. It now appears that we have to become microbe ranchers and nematode supporters.”

Brian Haddow: “Jill Clapperton is the only scientist I have listened to in the last 10 years, who has related the soil and its organisms to overall plant, livestock health and even landscape health. The rhizosphere is like the main cog in the agricultural machine, it is the biodiversity wheel; if it isn’t functioning well, nothing else that depends on the soil or plant life is either.

Ernie Nimitz: “I think the full hall was a testament to the quality of speaker and to some good footwork done behind the scenes. I hadn’t heard some of the information before, and I like the way she presented it. A researcher that can express their ideas effectively is rare; and I think people got a lot out of her talk and they definitely understood how important the micro organisms are to our whole systems.

Bill Gaugler, who travelled 4 1/2 hr from Hawk Hills, AB to hear Jill, says “I was very impressed! She obviously believes strongly in zero till and no fall tillage, and so do I. Other take home messages were we should be thinking about micorrhyzial health when we plan our rotations, and including deep rooted crops. The work we do with cover crops and growing our own nitrogen fits in well with her messages

Jill Clapperton Fills Tower Lake Hall

FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Hon. Herbert O. Sparrow, Senator Vice President: Lorne Hehn

Secretary Treasurer: Ronald L. Halstead Directors: Gordon Blanchard, Lance Bishop, Robert Buness, David Cressman, Julian Dumanski, Bernard Duval, Dianne Harkin, Ronald Hicks, Donald Lobb, James C. McCutcheon, D. Stewart Morrison, John Nowland

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Maarten van Oord has seen a lot of changes in his 32 years in New Brunswick, not the least of which is being able to grow corn in his little corner of the world. van Oord immigrated to Canada from Holland with his wife in 1979, having bought a 300 acre dairy farm in Springfield, about 30 minutes outside of Fredericton. Not having a farming background meant there was a steep learning curve to overcome when he arrived, but a neighbouring Dutch farmer took him under his wing, and van Oord found he took to farming like a duck to water. Thirty plus years and five children later, vanOord has now handed the reins

over to his oldest son, and is enjoying his new role as “hired hand”.

“If you’d told me 30 years ago that someday we’d be growing corn on this farm, I’d have said you were crazy,” says van Oord. “When we first moved here, we just didn’t have the climate for it,” he continues. “But in the last few years, we’ve started seeing heat units as high as 2200”.

There are three dairy farms in the area, milking fewer than 200 head between them, none of whom could justify an investment in corn equipment, given the size of their individual farms. In a flash of inspiration, the three decided they could make it work if they worked together. One farm bought a four-row John Deere no-till planter with a yetter frame, and purchases the seed. The second farm supplies the sprayer and purchases the spray. The third farm was in the process of buying a new harvester so they purchased one with a corn processor.

Given the rocky nature of the soils in Springfield, no-till corn seemed like a good fit.

Before starting this new venture, experts from the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture were consulted, and the three partners went to visit some other farmers, also producing corn, for advice. With a total of about 100 acres planted between the three farms, they’re looking at a rotation of three years corn (Round-Up Ready, 80%BT) and three of alfalfa/grass mix. The fields are disced before planting the alfalfa. They have lots of manure available and the only fertilizer used is some 34-0-0, which is applied at a rate of 35 kg/ac (80 kg/ha) on the corn. They can plant up to 40 acres of corn per day. Normally, they

have been spraying glyphosphate in the spring, then again at the

four-leaf stage. Last year, as a trial on a small number of acres, they took a first cut of alfalfa, then sprayed the field and no-till planted the corn into it. This worked out fairly well. Since starting in 2006, they have had three good years, and one which was very cold and wet and as a result it didn’t work out so well.

The corn is stored in tower silos and Ag Bags, and the three partners are now feeding less grain, getting more milk, and their cattle are in better condition.

Overall, van Oord has been very pleased with the results of having made the switch to no-till. Always an advocate of sustainable farming practices, van Oord is ever mindful that he is merely borrowing this farmland from his grandchildren, and hopes to leave the land in better condition than he found it.

No-Till Corn in New Brunswick

Richard van Oord in New Brunswick Corn Field

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SOIL CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF CANADA 2010-2011 Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE Don McCabe, President R.R. #1 Inwood, ON N0N 1K0 Tel: 519-331-6175 dmccabe@xcelco.on.ca Eugene Legge, Past President (NL) NFLA Box 44 Holyrood NF A0A 2R0 Tel: 709-229-4439, Cell – 709-682-2019 eugene.legge@nf.sympatico.ca Josie Van Lent-Staden, 1st Vice (2012) TCTL AB ACTS II Box 9, Site 1, RR 3 Mannville, AB. T0B 2W0 Ph:780-763-2158 Email: staden.farms@hmsinet.ca Alan Kruszel, 2nd Vice (2012) TCTL ON OSCIA 15745 Hoople 7th Road Newington, ON K0C 1Y0 Tel: 613-346-1455 Fax: 613-346-0523 alan@agri-source.ca Dan Hacault, Executive Member (2011) TCTL MB MZTRA Box 194 Swan Lake MB R0G 2S0 Tel: 204-836-2391 Cell: 204-825-8104 dhacault@inetlink.ca Paul Thoroughgood, Executive Member (2011) NGO Ducks Unlimited Canada Box 4465, 1030 Winnipeg St. Regina, SK S4P 3W7 Tel: 306-569-0424, Fax: 306-565-3699 Cell: 306-631-1603 p_thoroughgood@ducks.ca Glen Shaw, Executive Director Box 998 Indian Head SK S0G 2K0 Tel: 306-972-7293 info@soilcc.ca

DIRECTORS Doyle Wiebe (2011) TCTL Sask. SSCA Box 680 Langham, SK S0K 2L0 Tel:306-283-4340 Cell: 306-222-0170 Fax: 306-283-4257 dvwiebe@yourlink.ca

Sandra Burton, (2013) TCTL BC Box 141 Farmington BC V0C 1N0 Tel 250-789-3450 sburton@pris.bc.ca Jérôme Damboise (2012) NGO ECSWCC 1010 ch de l’Église DSL St-André NB E3Y 2X9 Tel: 506-475-4040. Fax: 506-475-4030 jdambois@umce.ca Lynn Grant (2011) NGO Canadian Cattleman’s Association Box 175, Val Marie, SK S0N 2T0 Tel: 306-298-2268 grantranch@sasktel.net Peter MacLeod (2011) Industry Vice President Chemistry, CropLife Canada 21 Four Seasons Place, Suite 627 Etobicoke, ON M9B 6J8 Tel: 416-622-9771 cell: 416-471-6063 Fax: 416-622-6764 macleodp@croplife.ca Gerard Wood (2011) TCTL PEI PEISCIA 673 Monaghan Road Lake Verde Pownal RR#1 Prince Edward Island C0A 1Z0 Tel: 902-651-2612 bwood@csmlaw.com Tim Marsh, (2012) TCTL NS SCIANS 1371 Avondale Road Newport NS B0N 2A0 Tel: 902-757-1906, cell: 902-798-7924 Fax: 902-757-3930 timmarsh@ns.sympatico.ca Don Ready, (2012) ON IFAO 236237 Grey Rd. 13, RR 1 Kimberley, ON N0C 1G0 Tel/Fax: 519-599-3978 Cell 519-372-4652 dready@georgian.net Werner G. Schur, (2013) TCTL QC Ferme Bavaria inc., 592 rg Lachapelle ST Guillaume, QC J0C 1L0 Home 819-396-0029 fermebavaria@sympatico.ca

Michelle Lester (2011) TCTL NL 92 Pearltown Road St.John's, NL A1G 1P3 Tel:709-368-2458 Cell: 709-687-2998 Fax: 709-747-7139 lesterfarmsinc@aol.com Maarten van Oord (2013) TCTL NB NBSCIA 333 Route 615 Scothch Settlement, NB E6L 1M7 Tel: 506-363-2571 Cell: 506-470-9789 Johnrob1@nb.sympatico.ca EX - OFFICIO Adam Hayes, (NT) OMAFRA Box 400, 120 Main St E Ridgetown ON N0P 2C0 Tel: 519-674-1621, Fax: 519-674-1564 adam.hayes@ontario.ca Michelle Harland A/Manager Soil Resources Division AAFC/PFRA 200-303 Main St. Winnipeg, MB R3C 3G7 Phone (204) 984-3424 Fax (204) 983-2178 Cell (204) 223-9885 LIFE MEMBER Herbert O Sparrow 9113 Walker Dr. North Battleford, SK S9A 2X2 306-445-3573 Date in brackets is expiry date for term of office. NT means no term for that position TCTL Denotes Taking Charge Team Leader for their province Sue Hubbs, Office Manager Box 998, Indian Head SK S0G 2K0 Phone: 306-695-2231 Fax: 306-695-3442 slhubbs@sasktel.net