Land management

Conservation tillage and no-till seeding more common

Canadian farmers have been looking for ways to keep their costs down and new or rediscovered land management practices are proving to be one solution. Numbers show that farmers are using more and more environmentally friendly practices to minimize wind and water erosion and soil compaction. But farmers benefit as well as the environment. Practices such as conservation tillage minimize the number of passes farmers make over their fields, which in turn reduces the number of hours spent in each field, decreases fuel costs and lowers carbon dioxide emissions. The time saved allows a farmer to crop more land in the same amount of time using the same equipment.

Conservation tillage and no-till seeding techniques combine to overtake conventional tillage

More Canadian farmers are preparing their land for seeding using no-till seeding and conservation tillage methods, which leave some stubble on the surface to protect the soil from wind and water erosion, and retain moisture. This ability to retain moisture allows farmers to convert summerfallow land to cropland and is particularly important in years of drought. The extent to which no-till seeding or conservation tillage methods can be used depends on the soil type and crop.

Use of conservation tillage and no-till seeding techniques first appeared in significant proportions in 1991. The trend was confirmed in 1996, and in 2001, 44.4% of farms reporting tillage practices were using these methods. More importantly, the area where no-till or conservation tillage was used accounted for 59.5% of all area tilled. These practices have the longest tradition in the Prairie provinces, but in 2001 the Atlantic provinces, Ontario and Quebec all reported significant increases, with the exception of no-till in Prince Edward Island. Potatoes cannot be grown using current no-till techniques.

Manure: Nature's renewable nutrient

With the growth in animal numbers, Canadian farmers are looking for more environmentally and neighbour-friendly ways to dispose of manure. Manure is a natural alternative to commercial fertilizers. Whether or not manure is a practical substitute for chemical fertilizers depends on the quantity and the distance it would have to be transported. In 2000, manure was spread over 6.7 million acres, an increase of 5.5% compared with five years ago.

In many parts of Canada, more stringent regulations are being implemented for livestock operations as public pressure to improve water quality grows. Quebec and parts of British Columbia already have environmental regulations in place for manure disposal similar to those in Europe, where restrictions are tight.

Since the last census, the area spread with fertilizers was down, suggesting a shift from fertilizers to manure. Farmers may use one or a combination of methods to spread manure. Spreading solids was the most common method in 2000 as it had been in 1995: it was used on 67.2% of the area to which manure was applied compared with 73.0% of the total area in 1995.

Of the two liquid-spreading methods — surface or injected — surface spreading accounts for 85.0% of liquid-spread area. Injecting manure directly into the soil is considered the most environmentally friendly method and its area increased 145.2%.

Dried or composted manure for urban gardeners and nurseries is also a product of livestock operations.