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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MARCH 2019 Vegetation fundamental to farms, landscape


Increasing biodiversity of farms increases their resiliency


by MYRNA STARK LEADER ABBOTSFORD – Agro-


forestry, and the vegetation chosen for a farm property, can help boost the health of the environment and the farm alike, speakers at this year’s Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford told producers. “People are not putting in


agroforestry for pollinators’ benefit, but with a little more insight and planning, we can plan to benefit pollinators,” says Gary Bentrup, a landscape planner with the USDA National Agroforestry Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Pollinators include not just bees but wasps as well as


butterflies, bats, beetles, flies, moths and hummingbirds. Planting species that


attract them and provide forage throughout the season is important to building healthy populations. It’s also important to understand pollinators’ proximity to a crop since some have a limited range. Bentrup suggested leaving more undisturbed natural areas, since about 70% of bees ground nest. (There are 34 species of social


bumblebees in BC, and they like woody areas for nesting.) Mace Vaughan of the


Xerces Society in Portland, Oregon, calls hedgerows a gateway into agroforestry. “I know it’s hard to imagine


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taking away up to a third of your field for hedgerows, but you could start small by planting along roadways,” he explained, saying some California growers have two and three-row hedgerows. Sunflowers or small needle shrubs like spruce and juniper can also serve as a windbreak. The optimum planting pattern to stop spray drift is staggering shrubs like the points of a W. Alley-cropping is another way to introduce agroforestry concepts such as planting native cover crops or vegetables between fruit trees. Silvopasture integrates trees with forage and livestock production, but could also include growing legumes or flowers on


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Hedgerow plantings are a gateway to agroforestry, and provide a home for pollinators. FILE PHOTO


rangeland. “How do you diversify


what’s on the ground, to get more bloom?” he asks. “Or can we plant pollinator overstory trees like big leaf maple, tulip or horse chestnut trees?”


Biodiversity Drew Bondar with the


Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust says increasing biodiversity increases the resiliency of an area. Agriculture takes up about


a third of the Earth’s surface, so producers need to find ways to work with natural habitats. Studies from BC as


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well as the UK and US show that hedgerows pay for themselves in five to seven years through reduced pesticide use and increased yields. BC’s Environmental Farm Plan program can help fund some of the cost of establishment. Bondar recommends native plants and perennials and discourages nuisance plants. A grass or wildflower margin of two metres or wider is a simple way to mitigate the loss of biodiversity and design a more sustainable farm system. “When biodiversity is done right, it can be viewed not as a cost but as a long-term investment,” he says. Lee Hesketh of the BC


Cattlemen’s Association’s Farmland-Riparian Interface Stewardship Program, agrees. Hesketh has spent years helping to clean up, reroute, repair and stop erosion in BC


creeks and waterways by introducing plants and plant material and protecting riparian areas through fencing.


“I do bio-engineering. If I


do my job right, nobody can tell what I did,” he says. Hesketh says farmers play a


key land management role through their decisions about plant species and farm practices. His advises producers to be open to new ideas and look for partners if they want to undertake a project. The federal ministries of fisheries and the environment, as well as non- governmental organizations are among those who may help. “Most people today buy


property as an investment, not long-term … but farmers can plan longer term and because we think long-term,” says Hesketh, “the investment pays off.”


Disturbed Farmland to Reclaim?


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Your Farm. Your Family. Your Future.


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Please visit www.assante.com/legal or contact Assante at 1-800-268-3200 for information with respect to important legal and regulatory disclosures related to this notice.


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