Meristem: Crop Science

At first glance, most wouldn't see the connection between Alberta farmers Alan and Lorna Pasolli, and Jerry Kitt. From a farm production perspective, they appear to operate two different businesses. The Pasollis are grain and oilseed producers from the southern town of Champion who rent out a quarter of pasture land near Pincher Creek, while Jerry Kitt is a certified organic farmer located an hour west of Grande Prairie in the province's northwest.

What they do have in common, though, is their approach to wildlife habitat. Like a growing number of producers today, Kitt and the Pasollis are recognizing their habitat as an integral component of their farm assets. As a result, they are taking action to understand and protect these resources.

One thing producers who have developed Environmental Farm Plans (EFPs) are doing to focus these efforts is to participate in a new pilot project. Natural Advantage: The On-Farm Wildlife and Biodiversity Planning Service has been set up to help producers of all sizes identify opportunities to enhance wildlife habitat on their operations. It's managed by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) with funding support provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Greencover Canada Program.

"Whether driven by high stewardship standards or habitat's connection with land value, many producers today are thinking that the time is right to take stock of their habitat assets and include stewardship of habitat and biodiversity into their operational and business plans," says Kim Schmitt, project director. "Natural Advantage provides a tool to help them do this."

Driving management practices

As the new owners of a quarter-section of grassland near Pincher Creek, Alan and Lorna Pasolli were looking for ways to manage what was, for them, an unfamiliar situation.

"Because most of our farming career has been spent as grain and oilseed producers, we weren't very familiar with managing pasture land," says Alan Pasolli. "I thought the Natural Advantage process might offer a chance to learn a bit more about managing wildlife habitat in that context."

The process began when Brett Boukall, a biologist with DUC, came out to the Pasolli farm to conduct a two-hour interview aimed at gathering basic information about the property.

"He then did a walk-through of the property, taking aerial photos that he used to analyze and classify habitat areas," says Pasolli. "He also did a field verification and a rapid assessment of the health of those areas."

Natural Advantage participants receive a comprehensive written report, including resource materials and contact information to assist with implementing the report's recommendations, as the final step in the process. Potential improvements have already been discussed at length and the Pasollis are looking forward to receiving their final report where both habitat opportunities and potential will be discussed in detail.

"We established that there are wetland areas that are contributing significantly to the overall biodiversity, including deer, owls and other wildlife," says Pasolli. "We also found that there are some springs on the property that if fenced off would offer greater management control and enhance water quality."

Alan, a workshop facilitator for the EFP program, says their participation in the Natural Advantage process was a logical extension of their EFP.

"In many ways, Natural Advantage expands upon some of the basic principles of habitat management outlined in the EFP process," he says. "It can help producers better understand these principles and offers tools to put them into action."

Enhancing organic

Jerry Kitt, owner of First Nature Farms in the community of Goodfare, has produced a wide range of free-range meat animals since 1980 – long before the term "organic farming" became commonplace in agriculture. This approach to production has been driven by what he calls an innate appreciation of biodiversity.

"I look at wildlife habitat as my farm's life support system - one that's depleting quickly," he says. "We started out as a little bit of farmland surrounded by forests. Now there's a little bit of forest surrounded by cleared land. The result has been the loss of some key species in the ecosystem such as bears, wolves and songbirds."

Like most Natural Advantage participants, Kitt was introduced to the project through his participation in the EFP program.

"Although I got a lot out of the EFP program, I thought there could have been a bit more focus on protecting wildlife habitat," says Kitt. "The Natural Advantage project helped fill that need."

A few months after completing the Natural Advantage process, Kitt received a "huge" final report from DUC biologist Jolene Hillson. Although he found the entire process an eye-opening experience, there were a couple of recommendations he thought would have particular value for his operation.

"The report pointed out instances of large animals trampling sensitive areas such as riparian areas, creeks and lowlands," he says. "It caused me to rethink how and why I keep using the area for wintering cattle. As a result, I moved the wintering site out to another pasture which would benefit from the animal impact. A solar dugout pump will work great for supplying water needs."

The document also identified the impact of oil and gas activity. Although this is an issue that exceeds the borders of Kitt's land, he says it's key to maintain an ongoing relationship with resource extraction companies.

"The companies that work adjacent to our property are aware of our organic status and try not to affect the quality of the land," he says.

More information available

The Natural Advantage process is designed to be simple and straightforward for producers. Further information on the Natural Advantage project is available by contacting DUC wildlife biologists Brett Boukall at 403-348-5258 or Jolene Hillson at 780-439-5145. More information on the EFP program is available at the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company (AEFP) Web site at www.AlbertaEFP.com.

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Wildlife habitat takes on new value for these farmers

Driving management practices

Enhancing organic

More information available