Farmers, more than most people, have a very close relationship with the environment. We depend on air, soil, and water to grow our crops and raise our livestock, so we know first-hand how important it is to care for and nurture our natural ecosystems as best as we can.
In fact, farmers are sometimes called the original environmentalists because of the many things we have long been doing to look after the land that is in our care – and the new practices we’re adopting on an ongoing basis as part of a long-term approach of continual improvement.
My husband and I farm in Dundas County, south of Ottawa, where we grow crops and have a small beef herd. The environment has always been important on our farm, where we’ve planted cover crops to build soil health and minimize erosion and built fences to keep cattle out of our creeks and streams to protect water quality. We also actively participate in environmental research projects with universities, government, and industry partners to help in the search for sustainability and climate change solutions for farmers.
I’m also involved with our local conservation area, supporting farmers and landowners in environmental practices that benefit soil and water quality, and helping to build awareness of the many stewardship activities happening on our farms.
In agriculture, these environmental stewardship activities are called Best Management Practices (BMPs) and began as an initiative of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in 1992.
BMPs are developed by government and industry experts using ongoing research and best available science, and help guide farmers on the best ways to approach everything from managing pests, controlling soil erosion and proper land drainage to nutrient management planning, no-till crop production and managing irrigation.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) works in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and AAFC on BMP development and to produce detailed guidebooks for farmers on how to implement those BMPs on farms across Ontario.
Many BMPs have also been incorporated into the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP), a voluntary program launched by farm organizations with support from government in 1993 to help farmers assess where and how they can make environmental improvements on their farms. Over 40,000 people have participated in the EFP since its launch, which further highlights the strong commitment our sector has long had to continuous environmental improvement.
BMP information is updated on a regular basis as science and environmental priorities evolve. The most recent change has been digitizing all the BMP resources to make them available online. Working with OMAFRA and AAFC, OFA led the development of a new website called BMPbooks.com, an online library of how-to guides for sustainable agriculture and rural living.
With resources for environment, habitat, soils and water, the site is also searchable by the type of problem you’re wanting to solve on-farm and by crop or farm type or what to do in specialty situations, such as if you’re working with land that you’re renting from another landowner.
BMPs are going to be of even greater importance for farmers as government policies designed to mitigate climate change impacts become more prominent. We’ve already seen the announcement earlier this year by the federal government of a 30 per cent nitrous oxide emissions reduction target for agriculture, for example.
More and better use of on-farm best management practices that focus on improving fertilizer use is an excellent way for farmers to continue the environmental stewardship work they’ve already been doing voluntarily for decades.
Reducing tillage, adopting precision technologies or planting cover crops are all examples of best management practice that can help manage and reduce synthetic fertilizer use on farm. Another example is an approach also recognized in source water protection called the 4Rs: applying the right fertilizer in the right amount to the right place at the right time.
I encourage all farmers to visit BMPbooks.com and take a look at the wide range of digital resources that are now available. Additionally, most county and regional federation of agriculture offices also have printed copies available.
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Jackie Kelly-Pemberton is a director of Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
