The Dirt on Cover Crops!

 

Please join Horticulture Nova Scotia and Perennia Food and Agriculture for a morning of cover crops!  Seeding methods, the effects of residual herbicides on cover crop establishment, cover crop species conversations, equipment show-and-tell, management strategies, and more!

Tuesday, August 23, 9:00 – 12:30 

Brooklyn Corner, NS.  

Please register, and the field location will be sent out in advance of the day.  https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/the-dirt-on-cover-crops/edate/2022-08-23/

 Pesticide points and CCA points will be available

 

Reminder - Upcoming Field Day!

 

On July 11th from 1- 3 pm, please join Perennia Specialists at Soil Mates Farm in Barss Corner for a tailgate meeting.  We will discuss compost, compost analysis, cover crops, veg and berry production, and wireworm management. Our team will be on hand to answer any production questions, so bring pictures, analysis results and samples.

Do you have a compost source that you find works well for you? Bring a bucket for a compost show and tell!

To register for this event, please click here.

This event is being held as part of the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) program. The goals of the program are to encourage on-farm sequestration of carbon and reduction in greenhouse gases through the implementation of improved nitrogen management, enhanced cover crop adoption, and the normalization of rotational grazing. For more info on the OFCAF program, please visit ofcaf.perennia.ca

Upcoming Field Day - Compost and Cover Crops

 

On July 11th from 1- 3 pm, please join Perennia Specialists at Soil Mates Farm in Barss Corner for a tailgate meeting.  We will discuss compost, compost analysis, cover crops, veg and berry production, and wireworm management. Our team will be on hand to answer any production questions, so bring pictures, analysis results and samples.

Do you have a compost source that you find works well for you? Bring a bucket for a compost show and tell!

To register for this event, please click here.

This event is being held as part of the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) program. The goals of the program are to encourage on-farm sequestration of carbon and reduction in greenhouse gases through the implementation of improved nitrogen management, enhanced cover crop adoption, and the normalization of rotational grazing. For more info on the OFCAF program, please visit ofcaf.perennia.ca

Sprayer Efficacy Workshop - Location

The Sprayer Efficacy Workshop will take place on Thursday, July 20, 2017 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm.  The approximate street address is 9780 NS-201, Wilmot, NS.  Keep your eyes peeled for Perennia signs!
 


If you contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) she will email you a map.


Perennia IPM Specialist Peter Burgess and Vegetable Specialist Rosalie Madden will discuss nozzle selection, canopy penetration, and the importance of water volume!  Pesticide points available.

Thursday, July 20, 2017 

Spurr Brothers Farms, Melvern Square 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sprayer Efficacy Workshop

Please join Perennia Integrated Pest Management Specialist Peter Burgess and Vegetable Specialist Rosalie Madden for a discussion about sprayer efficacy.

We will discuss nozzle selection, canopy penetration, and the importance of water volume!  Pesticide points available.

Thursday, July 20, 2017 

Spurr Brothers Farms, Melvern Square 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Please contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or gwalsh@perennia.ca to register by July 17, 2017.

Be sure to give Gail your e-mail address as we will send out a map of the field locations the day before the workshop.

 

Integrated Weed Management in Cucurbits

Plywood separators used to partition a grain drill seed box.

In the Fall of 2016, Perennia, in conjunction with local growers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, undertook a new on-farm trial that demonstrates the use of mulched cover crops to suppress weeds and promote soil health in cucurbit production.  

Partitions expertly secured with a suitable application of duct tape.

In a previous project (Cover crops and zone tillage for reduced risk weed management in field vegetables in Eastern Canada), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists evaluated weed control methods in cucurbits using cover crops and generated recommendations for using certain techniques to manage weeds in squash production. The technique that we are trying in Nova Scotia integrates the use of fall-seeded rye and banded fall-seeded oats.  

Two rows of oats seeded for eight rows of rye, September 30, 2016.

Oat and rye establishment on October 19, 2016.

The oats will winter-kill, leaving a clear narrow band into which squash can be planted.  The surviving rye is left to grow until late spring at which point it is rolled down to serve as a weed-controlling mulch. This technique has been shown to reduce weed pressure and the amount of herbicides needed, as well as increase marketable squash yield. Squash that is grown on the rolled down rye mulch should be cleaner at harvest, have less disease symptoms, and require less cleaning prior to heading to market.

 

Another added benefit of this system is the organic matter that the cover crops will add to the soil.  This, along with the season-long soil cover provided by the mulch, will contribute to improvements in soil health.  The mulch will protect the soil from erosion and will also preserve soil moisture should we have a repeat of last year's growing conditions!

We intend to hold a field day this summer to demonstrate this technique, stay tuned for more details!!  

Winter-killed oats alternating with fall rye, January 31, 2017.

Under the Covers follow up!

Due to room capacity restrictions, not everyone was able to join us at Under the Covers: Enhancing Profitability and Resiliency with Cover Crops, the workshop for farms of all types and sizes.  However, to help spread the good word, please find below the presentations and handouts from that educational day!

1. David Blanchard - Why Cover Crops 
2. David Blanchard - Meet the Cover Crops
3. David Blanchard - Cover Crops at Pleasant Hill Farm
4. David Blanchard - Cover Crop Economics
5. Rosalie Madden - Mineralization of Cover Crops
6. Dr. Nancy McLean - Alternative Cover Crops for Strawberry Rotations
7. Additional cover crop resources
8. Carolyn Marshall - Cover Crops Field Day Handout
9. Jason Stuka - Aggregate Handout

Amy Sangster leading a discussion about novel cover crops and root morphology

Jason Stuka demonstrating soil structure and aggregate stability

Carolyn Marshall updating the group on recent research on green manures and no-till

Under the Covers: Enhancing Profitability and Resiliency with Cover Crops

Cover crops are going to become increasingly important in the face of our changing climate.  Predictions for our region are that we are going to be facing more intense rainstorms with longer dry spells in between, something that we have certainly seen this year.

Intense rainstorms after a prolonged dry period often results in what is called overland flow; basically the water runs off the field in sheets and doesn't infiltrate the soil.  When this happens, soil often gets taken with the flow of water, causing erosion and exporting nutrients, resulting in economic loses to the farmer, and nutrient loading of our waterways.  Cover crops improve soil health and one of the ways that they do this is by increasing the permeability of the soil: instead of the water sheeting off the field, it infiltrates.  Cover cropping and good soil health will also help a crop withstand prolonged dry periods by improving moisture retention.

Please join us to learn more at Under the Covers: Enhancing Profitability and Resiliency with Cover Crops, a workshop for farms of all types and sizes, on Tuesday, September 15th in Room 214 at 90 Research Drive in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia.

9:00 AM     Registration/Coffee
9:15 AM     Welcome
9:30 AM     Why Cover Crops - David Blanchard
10:15 AM   Meet the Cover Crops - David Blanchard
10:45 AM   Online Decision Making Tool - David Blanchard
11:15 AM   Cover Crop Economics - David Blanchard
11:45 AM   Nitrogen Mineralization of Cover Crops - Rosalie Madden
12:15 PM   Lunch Provided
1:15 PM     Alternative Cover Crops for Strawberry Rotations - Dr. Nancy McLean
1:45 PM     Novel Cover Crops and Root Morphology - Amy Sangster
2:30 PM     Soil Health, Structure, and Aggregate Stability - Jason Stuka
3:15 PM     Green Manures and No-till - Carolyn Marshall
4:00 PM     Wrap up

To register please call Gail at 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or 902-678-7722 (local) by Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

 
A portion of the day will be in the field; please dress accordingly. 

 

Field Day: What's the Deal with Delia?

Join us on a field tour on Thursday, July 9th, 2015 from 8:15 am to noon!  

Come learn more about onion maggots (Delia antigua) and other Delia species that attack onions, corn, beans, and Brassicas such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, kale and Brussel sprouts.

Figure 1. Onion maggot damage.

AAFC is currently conducting research to determine which Delia species are present in Nova Scotian onion fields and to determine if surrounding vegetation or field history can influence Delia populations and subsequent damage.

Netting and floating row cover can be powerful tools to combat insect pests such as cabbage root maggot (Delia radicum). Perennia and AAFC are currently conducting research into the efficacy of different netting mesh sizes. A Wondermesh Netting/Row Cover Retriever will be on hand to demonstrate technology that makes using netting and row covers easier!

Figure 2. Wondermesh Netting/Row cover Retriever.

Carrot weevils (Listronotus oregonensis) are sporadic pests of carrots. Current AAFC studies are evaluating the carrot weevil’s movement within the field and identifying overwintering sites.

Please call Gail at (902) 678-7722 or visit www.perenniaregistrations.com
to register!

Coffee and muffins at 8:15 AM at the Kentville Research Station - bus leaves at 8:30 AM sharp!