APRIL 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
29 Soil, cover crop management highlights workshop
by ROB BORSATO QUESNEL – The Kersley Farmers
Institute held an all-day agricultural workshop at the Quesnel campus of the College of New Caledonia on March 4. Approximately 50 people registered for the event which featured four presentations, including a producer panel and lots of opportunities to ask questions. Two of the topics focussed on soils and soil nutrient management. They were led by David Poon and Jeffrey Nimmo, soil specialists with the BC Ministry of Agriculture in Abbotsford. Both presenters stressed the importance of farmers knowing their own soils. Without this basic knowledge, many soil management issues – but particularly those dealing with nutrient amendments – become less efficient and thus less cost- effective. Soil tests, especially soil tests over the long-term, provide an important part of the picture but equally important is a keen sense of observation and some local knowledge. An afternoon workshop looked at green
Silver Hills Ranch’s commitment to environmental management practices, the ranch is a past recipient of the BC Cattlemen’s Association environmental stewardship award. A fourth workshop introduced
A panel of local producers discussed cover crop options with moderator Jeffrey Nimmo, far right, soil nutrient management specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, during a workshop hosted by the Kersley Farmers Institute in Quesnel. NICOLE PRESSEY PHOTO
manures and cover crops as part of the soil nutrient management regime. Cover crops can help control erosion and suppress weeds, as well as supply important nutrients to the soil. They can also provide extra forage by being interplanted with a commercial crop and allowing for livestock integration. A panel of five producers ranging from market gardeners to dairy and beef farmers described their experiences with a wide range of
cover crops from traditional grains to sunflowers, radishes, and annual clovers. Travelling from his Silver Hills Ranch near Lumby,
Lee Hesketh focussed on land stewardship issues related to livestock grazing. He also emphasized the importance of soil testing – principally to avoid nutrient overloading and the compromising of riparian areas. He also discussed the management of grazing to insure adequate recovery and regrowth. In recognition of Hesketh’s work and
participants to the growing and marketing of haskap berries. Haskap berries are in the honeysuckle family. They are a longish, blue berry tasting somewhere between a raspberry, a blueberry and a Saskatoon berry. They have gained popularity with consumers over the last while so commercial interest and production have been ramping up. The presenter of this discussion was Eric Gerbrandt from Sky Blue Horticulture Ltd. in Chilliwack where he lives and works as a berry specialist. His main message was that aspiring producers should first try things on a small scale, learning both how to grow haskap, and also how to market them. Gerbrandt’s presentation was done via webinar and for some participants, this was their first exposure to this format of teaching.
“I was really pleased with how well the webinar
format was received”, remarked workshop co- organizer and Kersley Farmers Institute secretary Lynda Atkinson. “I can see us using this more often as we plan for future workshops.” The workshop was made possible with support
from the federal-provincial Growing Forward 2 program, and help from regional agrologist Nicole Pressey, Community Futures North Cariboo, and the Quesnel Farmers’ Market.
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