Research Library
EFAO’s research library is an open access resource where you can find all of EFAO’s research protocols, reports and publications, and other on-farm research guides.
As a follow-up to Brent and Gillian’s tarp trial last year, these growers evaluated the difference among tarp, landscape fabric and clear plastic for greens production.
Key Findings
- Occultation worked consistently for weed and residue management. Between tarp and landscape fabric, landscape fabric is much easier to manage.
- Clear plastic was not effective during shoulder seasons, when temperatures aren’t warm enough.
- The soil covers did not affect crop yield differently.
- Soil moisture retention was better with occultation, and soil moisture was highest under landscape fabric.
- Depending on farm and time of year, soil temperature peaked under all covers and uncovered soil, suggesting that occultation does not increase soil temperatures to a point that negatively affects soil biology.
Keywords
- soil health, active carbon, organic matter, farmer-led research, organic farming
Perennial cover crops have many ecological benefits. However, they may compete with the crop or not provide sufficient weed control.
Key Findings
- After 3 years at Pat’s and 2 years at Ivan’s, comfrey had no effect on fruit production or saskatoon and currant health.
- Comfrey was a vigorous living mulch without causing detectable negative affects on fruit production.
This trial was multi-year. Earlier reports and protocols can be found using the links below.
Earlier reports
Earlier protocols
Basalt rock dust is a remineralizer that is used in other parts of the world but there is limited information on its effectiveness to supply crops with nutrients in neutral and alkaline soils. To test the efficacy of basalt as a mineralizer for grain, Shelley and Tony grew Heritage Amber Spring Wheat in replicated plots with and without basalt amendments.
Key Findings
- Basalt rock dust had no detectable effect on Heritage Amber Spring Wheat yield, and benefits may take years to detect.
- There were also no other observable differences in growth, seed quality or disease resistance between treatment and control.
- It was a bad year for wheat production but, overall, Heritage Amber Spring Wheat – a landrace variety – performed well against lodging and Fusarium.
The fall slot for lettuce is challenging because lettuce has to handle both the heat and dryness of summer and the cold and wet of fall. To compare different varieties for fall growing, these farmers – in consultation with Johnny’s, High Mowing and Fedco seed companies – selected 11 lettuce varieties of interest. Each grower chose a subset and everyone committed to planting two replicates of each variety in their last two plantings of lettuce.
Key Findings
- Magenta, a red/green batavian, and Ruby Star, a red leaf, were the top performers with respect to overall vigor, flavour and germination.
- Adriana was the growers’ least favourite.
Key Findings
- Grain yield and relative net return were highest when no-till planted into daikon radish.
- Weed control was best with daikon radish and the fall tillage control.
- There was no soil erosion in the cover crop plots, and moderate rill erosion in the fall tillage plots.
Key Findings
- Grafted tomatoes had greater total marketable yield regardless of scion variety.
- Grafted tomatoes had greater overall plant health.
- Grafted tomatoes had higher net returns on average but the degree of economic benefit varied by farm.
- Yield advantage for grafting likely depends on scion variety and scion and rootstock compatibility.
To solve the world’s most complex problems, research is increasingly moving toward more transdisciplinary endeavors. While a lot of important work has explored the characteristics, challenges, opportunities, and operationalization of transdisciplinary research, much less is known about the circumstances that either facilitate or hinder the research process, particularly from the perspectives of graduate students who often participate in them. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by contributing our own experiences as a team of four graduate students and one community partner that collaborated on a food security project. To support our collaboration, we develop and apply an analytical framework that integrates transdisciplinarity and action research. Through principles of reflexivity, participation and partnership, methods and process, and integration, we find that the framework facilitated the development of shared purposes, mutual responsibility, and meaningful relationships, resulting in the cocreation of a guidebook for farmer-led research. Our main concern with the framework is not achieving the full integration of our disciplines and practices. Transdisciplinarity together with action research holds significant promise in a food security context, but only in the “right” circumstances, where considerable time is spent building relationships, opening communicative space, and reflecting on the work with collaborators.
Keywords
- Community engaged scholarship, graduate student, evaluation, transdisciplinary, action research, food security
This article surveys the current state of agroecology in Canada, giving particular attention to agroecological practices, the related social movements, and the achievements of agroecological science. In each of these realms, we find that agroecology emerges as a response to the various social and ecological problems associated with the prevailing industrial model of agricultural production that has long been promoted in the country under settler colonialism. Although the prevalence and prominence of agroecology is growing in Canada, its presence is still small and the support for its development is limited. We provide recommendations to achieve a more meaningful integration of agroecology in Canadian food policy and practice.
Keywords
- agricultural policy; agroecology; Canada; food movements; on-farm practices
Felicia grows nematode-free garlic, which she sells as clean seed. She’d like to prevent loss to Fusarium and tested a copper spray and biostimulant spray as potential ways to control the fungus.
Key Findings
- The dry conditions and good seed garlic led to low Fusarium pressure this year.
- Felicia found no difference in the proportion of garlic with visual signs of infection by weight of good garlic when she compared plots treated with copper spray, RhizoVital® spray and no spray.
Jason Hayes raised groups of Nova Free Ranger and White Rock chickens on pasture and measured feed intake, carcass yield, taste and nutritional quality.
Key Findings
- From one successful replicate, the Nova Free Ranger group had a lower (better) average feed conversion ratio and greater return to labour ($5.30/kg vs. $5.05/kg).
- Blind taste tests suggest the taste and texture of Nova Free Ranger meat is preferred by culinary professionals but that the average non-chef customer may prefer the smoother texture of White Rock meat.
- Average OMEGA 6:3 ratio of one White Rock and one Nova Free Ranger was 9.5:1, higher (worse) than previously published results from pasture-raised chickens but lower (better) than previously published results from non-pasture-raised chickens. Vitamin content was higher than all previously published results.
- Delayed arrival of Nova Free Ranger chicks allowed analysis of only one replicate in 2016, so additional replicates are needed to draw conclusions.
- Evaluating the nutritional quality and profitability of alternative breeds on pasture helps producers choose breeds that are better suited to integrated, pasture-based farming.
Joseph and Jazmin compared organic sprays for managing disease in their young orchard, with the goal of discovering the best organic approach to care for their black walnuts.
Key Findings
- Disease and insect pressure was low on the young trees measured this year.
- While there was no statistical difference between the two treatments (neem oil vs copper and biological insecticide). They will continue measurements for a second year.
- The most significant indicator of fungal infection is early defoliation in the fall. Therefore, observations next year at the end of the season could strengthen their overall conclusions.
In a Nutshell
- Kim observed off-type colours at 400 ft for Purity (white) and Rubenza (pink) Cosmos
- Kim observed off-type colours at 600 ft for Purity (white) Cosmos
Key Findings
- In the first year of application, Val and Brent detected no effect of the biochar amendment on soil microbial activity, as a proxy for soil health.
- They also detected no changes in tree health in the first year of application.
- Val and Brent will continue to monitor soil and tree health in future years.
As demand for sweet potatoes grows in Canada, breeders are working to create sweet potatoes that are adapted to eastern Ontario. In the first year of the project, Kate selected sweet potatoes that are best suited for low input, organic systems in eastern Ontario.
Progress to Date
- Kate evaluated nearly 60 genetically unique and
diverse sweet potato tubers. - After final evaluations of taste and storability, Kate
will choose 15 varieties and trial them in 2020. - Kate collected seeds from the vines that produced
seed, which is germplasm for future breeding.