A collaborative field day between BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food, FarmFolk CityFolk and E.S. Cropconsult Ltd. FarmFolk CityFolk, in partnership with the Investment Agriculture Foundation, will highlight the BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund and discuss the practice of cover cropping for blueberry production. The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food and E.S.Cropconsult Ltd. will highlight their On-Farm Demonstration Research project that is evaluating different cover crop mixes for supporting biological pest control.

We invite farmers to join us and hear from guest speakers, tour Virasat Ag. Inc, see a variety of cover crops, and learn about their cover cropping program. Farmers will be able to meet other farmers in the area and learn about different operations. This will be an opportunity to hear from industry specialists, fellow farmers, and the owner/operator of our host farm.

Learn about cover cropping:

Cover cropping is an agricultural practice that involves planting crops specifically to improve soil health, increase climate adaptability and promote climate mitigation. Cover crops are grown primarily for the benefits they provide to the soil and the ecosystem and, when carefully chosen and managed, can be highly beneficial to producers. Benefits include, protecting the soil from erosion, suppressing weeds, reducing soil compaction, increasing soil organic matter, improving soil structure, increasing soil water-holding capacity, and enhancing nutrient cycling. In addition, cover crops can provide a habitat for beneficial insects, such as pollinators and predators of pests that can support improved crop pollination and biological pest control.

Learn about different programs and research projects:

The On-Farm Demonstration Research (OFDR) project, led by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food and E.S. Cropconsult Ltd, provides support to producers to conduct farmer-led demonstration research to increase the adoption of regenerative practices and adapt to climate change. This field day will be a great opportunity to learn about OFDR and how you can do it on your farm! The host farm will speak to their experience setting up different cover crop mixes in blueberry alleyways to attract ground beetles for enhanced natural predation of pests.

The BC Living Lab, supported through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) program. ACS supports the integration of scientific research and farming operations, with the goal of increasing the adoption of effective practices and technologies that help farmers contribute to climate change mitigation and improve the natural environment. The BC Blueberry Council and the University of British Columbia will speak about what producer involvement may look like for the BC Living Lab in the next few years.

Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (DFWT) helps farmers implement sustainable agricultural practices to improve productivity, and maintain areas of wildlife habitat on their farms. DFWT offers two programs with cost-share incentives to help farmers plant habitats for native bees. Learn more about their research and their Hedgerow and Field Margins Programs.

Snacks will be provided.

Click here to register on Eventbrite.