Area farmer walks the talk when it comes to the environment

Dean Manning believes farmers need to be proactive caretakers of the environment.

“If there’s no good, sound environment, there’s no agriculture. The environment has to be perfect for us to do better and grow better.”

The Hants County beef farmer and greenhouse operator made good on his words when he signed on to Nova Scotia’s Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program in the fall of 2001.

The EFP, which is delivered by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture and funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is a program that helps farmers reduce their negative impact on the environment.

Manning’s farm consists of about 200 acres. He raises beef and grows mixed vegetables for the market he runs on his property.

He was trying already to make a sound environmental plan on his own before he signed up for an EFP. But he wanted his farm assessed by independent environmental specialists on the EFP team to make sure he wasn’t overlooking anything.

“We wanted to make sure what we were doing was good,” Manning said.

So far, 906 Nova Scotia farmers have gone through this same process to learn how to lessen their impact on the environment.

Once farmers have a completed plan, they can apply for cost-shared funding to implement Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) on their farm. These practices are strategic steps that help farmers make the right changes in order to have successful environmental plans.

BMPs are funded through the Farm Investment Fund, which is supported by the provincial and federal governments under the National Farm Stewardship Program.

In 2003, the EFP program was rolled into the environment chapter of the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework (APF), a five-year agreement aimed at helping the agricultural industry move ahead in environmental stewardship, food safety, skills development, business risk management and science and innovation.

The APF programs, including the Environmental Farm Plan Program, are funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.



Made some changes

Though Manning was on the right track before signing up for an EFP, he still had to make some changes to his operation after meeting with the independent specialists.

He created riparian buffer zones — which are patches of thicker, permanent vegetation — along waterways to filter contaminated run-off seeping into streams as part of the BMP called Riparian Area Management, riparian meaning body of water.

He also started planting winter rye as a cover crop to prevent erosion during the winter months as part of the BMP called Land Management for Soils at Risk. The winter rye protects the soil from movement in the spring by holding the earth together.

“It (the winter rye) holds the nutrients in the soil from the previous crop so we see a benefit in that when we plow it over, it re-releases the nutrients,” Manning said. “The corn has been amazing.”

On top of this, Manning has a nutrient management plan that complements his EFP. He had his soil tested and now practices intensive pasture management, including rotating where his cattle graze

After five years, farm plans are reviewed to make sure they’re still valid. They can also be updated to address changes in farming practices or to reflect specific changes in a farm’s operation, such as the addition of livestock.

Statistics show the program is working. Over 1,000 Nova Scotia farmers have participated in the EFP process since and almost as many have completed an EFP.

In the two full years that funding has been offered for beneficial management practices, farmers have received more than $2.5 million in federal and provincial funding for 433 projects that put their plans into action.

Manning recommends the program to any farmer thinking about signing on. “It’s always nice to have an independent third party tell you how you’re doing. Someone can always tell you how to improve. It’s not a hard process.”

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