Best Management Practices in Greenhouse Soils with Judson Reid

Judson Reid from Cornell University and Talia Plaskett, Perennia's Protected Crops Specialist, will be making the rounds in Nova Scotia July 3-July 5 for farmer-guided discussions on soil health in tunnel spaces! These sessions will be primarily focused around nitrogen management, and the crucial considerations to make when selecting nutrient inputs to make sure that we are supporting a healthy and resilient soil system, as well as maximizing the productivity on our target crops. This

2023-06-22T16:48:55+00:00June 22, 2023|Categories: Cover Crops, Nitrogen Management|

Check out some of our new educational materials!

We have had a busy winter!  There are lots of great new resources that have been developed over the last several months to help further your journey in cover cropping, nitrogen management, and rotational grazing.  You can find all of this on our OFCAF website and on Perennia's YouTube channel, but here is a rundown of what you may have missed!Some great instructional YouTube videos featuring farmers and Perennia Specialists: Frost Seeding Red Clover into

Terminating cover crops with herbicides

When implementing cover crops into a crop rotation, it is important that the cover crop doesn't then become a weed!  For farms that use herbicides, check out this excellent article on considerations for cover crop species selection and termination, written by Purdue University.  (Note that this is an American publication, and you should check the Health Canada website before using any products to ensure that it is registered in Canada and that you are

2022-08-10T14:31:32+00:00April 10, 2023|Categories: Cover Crops|

The effect of residual herbicides on cover crop establishment

Last winter, in a Horticulture Nova Scotia Research and Advisory committee meeting, we were discussing the effect of residual herbicides on cover crop establishment.  Very good tables are available on the residual effects of herbicides used in field crops on cover crop establishment, but many of the horticultural herbicides are not include in these tables. In order to answer the question: “Which cover crops are best suited to be planted after commonly used horticultural residual

2023-01-17T18:49:25+00:00January 17, 2023|Categories: Cover Crops, Uncategorized|Tags: , |

Calibrating a Broadcast Seeder

Frost seeding is a good way to improve a pasture or for seeding cover crops. A handheld broadcaster or a broadcaster mounted on an ATV is an easy way to get the job done. If you are thinking of trying frost seeding with a broadcaster for the first time you should know that calibrating your broadcaster is a really good idea, just like you would do for your seeders and sprayers. Calibration will ensure

2023-01-17T19:31:33+00:00January 9, 2023|Categories: Cover Crops, OFCAF|Tags: |

How much soil in the Annapolis Valley will be covered this winter?

Cover crops can provide a huge variety of advantages, reducing soil erosion, improving soil structure and drainage, capturing atmospheric carbon, and more!  We have had a remarkably warm and open winter in Nova Scotia this year and having a cover crop in place is imperative to protect your soil.  We have made some great strides with increasing the acres in cover crops over the past several years, but it is not time to rest on

2023-01-03T14:18:43+00:00January 3, 2023|Categories: Cover Crops, OFCAF|

Increasing your learning around cover cropping, rotational grazing, and nitrogen management

Are you interested in discovering more about cover crops, nitrogen management, and/or rotational grazing? How about improving your current practices in these areas? Check out the Farm Resilience Mentorship Program (FaRM), an online learning program. The FaRM program is brought to you by Farmers for Climate Solutions, who are a Canadian coalition of farmers and farmer supporting organizations who work to support farmers to reduce emissions and build resilience in the face of climate

2022-10-20T14:51:37+00:00October 7, 2022|Categories: Cover Crops, Nitrogen Management, OFCAF, Rotational Grazing|

How to implement cover crops on your farm

Need help setting some goals for what you want your cover crop to do for your farm?  Check out the Innovations in Cover Crops: Cover Crop Decision Tool.  You can set a goal such as "organic matter builder" or "legume N source" to see what species might suit your needs best.  Choose your province and county for planting date windows best suited to your region.  For producers who don't see their county represented, choose

2022-07-14T18:59:50+00:00July 14, 2022|Categories: Cover Crops|
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