Proudly Canadian
Proudly Canadian
A new educational site is being developed in Rivers, Man., with the goal of immersing youth in natural surroundings to instil the importance of environmental issues
French researcher argues that cultural value of shelterbelts is overlooked
The view from Northern Blossom Farms
In this third letter from Northern Blossom Farms, Gary Martens discusses ways to keep trees on the landscape.
In my first letter I advocated integrating livestock and crops for the synergistic benefits of both components to the farming system. In the next letter, I discussed my crop rotation which includes perennials but is still based mainly on annual crops. In this letter, I want to propose the integration of trees as a beneficialNew research is exploring another crucial ecosystem function to agriculture — the role shelterbelts play in maintaining soil fertility by sustaining soil biological activity
Scientists and environmental agencies inform us that agriculture on the prairie, like in most parts of the world, is becoming more vulnerable as climate changes, energy cost rises and natural resources including organic matter and biodiversity are depleted. This increased vulnerability not only threatens food security at a global scale (the Canadian Prairies contributes toBees and insect predators can help boost yields and cut losses, but farmers have to provide a good home
Shelterbelts don’t just keep topsoil from blowing way. They also provide homes for pollinator species, a group that includes butterflies, beetles, birds, wasps, flies – and even monkeys in some countries. But far and away the most effective of all are the bees, said Mark Wonneck, an ecologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “They areLivestock barns with shelterbelts around them smell better because they look better, says Iowa University researcher
Intensive livestock operations are tremendously efficient at converting grain into meat. But all those animals gorging themselves under one roof generate a lot of odoriferous byproducts. Shelterbelts, known in academic circles as vegetative environmental buffers (VEB), can help such operations stay on friendly terms with neighbours downwind by trapping and dispersing odours. What’s more, beautifying
