Kensington North Watersheds

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 the environment and promote good wildlife habitat and clean water, farmers use a wide range of techniques and management practices that promote good stewardship. Putting grass waterways in fields to reduce erosion, avoiding cropping high sloped land, expanding buffer zones, fencing streams and wetlands from livestock; are all good practices, and result in an additional cost of farm business. Governments have reacted by supporting programs that provide recognition when a service that is being provided, in this case an ecological benefit that is appreciated by rural and urban citizens alike.

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) is such a program. Established in 2008, the ALUS program encourages farmers to do more than simply meet provincial regulations. This voluntary program rewards farmers through an annual subsidy for the areas of land set-aside for conservation purposes. The subsidies are not large, so the true cost of retiring these lands is shared by farmers and governments. Island farmers are well aware of provincial regulations that set minimum environmental standards, but often, minimum standards do not go far enough. That is the beauty of the ALUS program as it positions farmers to voluntarily do a lot more for the environment without bearing the total cost themselves.

PEI offers the only province wide ALUS program in Canada. The incentives provided by ALUS have assisted in the creation of thousands of acres of grass waterways, expanded buffer zones, and a host of other ecological benefits in recent years. ALUS has helped raise the bar for environmental practices across PEI. The proof is in reduced soil erosion, improved fish and wildlife habitat, and cleaner water as compared to the years prior to the ALUS program being implemented. Farmers and government are both to be commended on this story of environmental success.

This column is presented by the Kensington North Watersheds Association and the East Prince Agri-Environment Association to inform our communities of the ongoing efforts farmers are taking toward good environmental stewardship.

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 extremely important area, as 80% of wildlife spends most or all its life in the riparian zone. The importance that farmers and all Islanders place in riparian zones is evident in our common goal of keeping our waters clean and safe.

One piece of proof of the respect that farmers have for our riparian zones is the increased effort being put into stream crossings on farms. Prior to the 1990’s construction of stream crossings was unregulated, and a wide range of structures and solutions for crossing streams existed. Many did not permit the passage of fish, and some fish populations became separated and thus weakened. The lack of expert construction advice often resulted in undersized structures being built that were more easily damaged during periods of high water flow during storms or spring thaws.

Today, the regulatory standard for new stream crossing construction is vastly improved. The size of new culverts or bridges is carefully calculated to handle the peak flows from the drainage area upstream. Materials and construction methods are fish friendly. Government programs are in place to assist farmers with the higher cost of installing these ecologically sound structures.

The result is a huge decrease of the impact of stream crossings on riparian zones. Fish passage is improved, allowing healthier fish populations and greater biodiversity. These stable structures also reduce the effects of erosion.

This column is presented by the Kensington North Watersheds Association and the East Prince Agri-Environment Association to inform our communities of the ongoing efforts farmers are taking toward good environmental stewardship.

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 variety of crops. The sandy soils are highly susceptible to erosion, either by wind, as it blows a dusty cloud off of a field, or by water, which picks up soil particles as surface water runs off the field. A cover crop, usually a cereal crop, is often used to follow potatoes. Traditionally barley and oats have been used, and are planted not too late in the season, preferably in late September or early October, in order to establish a green cover thick enough to reduce the impact of rain striking the soil and to make a mat of roots to bind the loose soil together.

A challenge that potato growers face is that much of the potato crop is harvested after the optimum planting dates for these cereals. In recent years farmers are experimenting with other crops that have greater tolerance of low temperatures – germinate better than barley and oats in cooler temperatures, and keep growing later in the season, both which contribute to additional protection for the soil. These hardier crops include winter rye and winter wheat.

A popular way of sowing a cover crop following a potato crop is to broadcast the seed on top of the potatoes before they are harvested. The act of digging the potatoes covers the seed with soil and germination follows.

Cover crops are but one component of cropping systems using specialty crops to improve and protect the soil. Bio-fumigants, such as brown mustard and buckwheat, suppress troublesome wireworm populations. Crops like tillage radish, field peas, vetch, add organic matter and nitrogen. Experiments are under way with exotic species such as sorghum, sudangrass and millet. All these crops address a variety of goals, such as weed suppression and reducing soil compaction, as well as managing erosion and adding plant residue.

This column is presented by the Kensington North Watersheds Association and the East Prince Agri-Environment Association to inform our communities of the ongoing efforts farmers are taking toward good environmental stewardship.

Gullies and watercourses are low spots in a field where surface water will naturally drain. The sandy soils of PEI are highly erodible, in comparison to soils in other regions of the Maritimes. A heavy rainfall event may lead to water quickly running across the surface of a tilled field and moving soil, resulting in soil erosion.

Soil erosion becomes a problem for farmers and the environment when soil leaves the field. Valuable top soil, containing organic matter and soil nutrients are lost to the farmer. The capacity of the field to grow profitable crops is reduced. The soil runoff may be deposited on other land or ditches, where it is not welcome. The worst case scenario occurs when this soil enters a waterway, where it causes sediment buildup in streams.

No one wants to see excessive soil erosion. Farmers go to great lengths to keep valuable soil in place.

One of the best practices to keep soil from leaving a tilled field is to install soil conservation structures. Earthen berms guide surface water toward a shallow path or watercourse in the field. These watercourses are seeded with grass and left as a permanent feature of the field. The grass slows down and captures soil particles that may be in the surface runoff. The soil stays in the grass, dramatically reducing the amount of soil that leaves the field. The grass also prevents trenches from being formed in these low spots.

Grass waterways are considered by some as the greatest step forward that farmers have taken in recent years to reduce erosion. To quote a retired farmer, “Twenty years ago it was an exception to see a grass waterway in a field. Today, the exception is to see a field that needs a grass waterway that doesn’t have one.”

Between the Members of the East Prince Agri-Environment Association (the Dunk River area), there is a total of 45 miles of grass waterways and 16 miles of berms (source: PEI Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry). These practices are carried out on farms across Prince Edward Island.

This column is presented by the Kensington North Watersheds Association and the East Prince Agri-Environment Association to inform our communities of the ongoing efforts farmers are taking toward good environmental stewardship.

This is the first in a series of articles that will highlight how our farmers are continuing their efforts to improve farm practices by increasing cooperation between each other and researchers.

Kensington North Watersheds Association is teaming up with the East Prince Agri-Environmental Association on a series of projects, including this column.

The East Prince Agri-Environment Association is a newly formed group representing twelve local family farms who share a common interest for building a more environmentally sustainable industry. The group is largely composed of young farmers who are all farming as a main or only source of income. This group of forward thinking professionals are very motivated and understand the need to work with each other, government, industry and the public to make agriculture on PEI economically sustainable and evolutionary while at the same time leaving a smaller environmental footprint for our children.

The group has targeted a number of key areas that they wish to improve on including soil erosion, nitrate reduction, and the relationship between researchers and farmers.

Kensington North Watersheds has worked on several agri-environmental projects in recent years. The Nitrates Stakeholders Committee continues to work hard on reducing the impact of nitrates on groundwater and surface water. Several agricultural based stories written by Kensington North have previously appeared in the County Line Courier.

This column is presented by the Kensington North Watersheds Association and the East Prince Agri-Environment Association to inform our communities of the ongoing efforts farmers are taking toward good environmental stewardship.