Vol. 1, No. 4
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Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine
Environment

GOMC grant recipient promotes estuary-safe farming techniques

Margaretsville, Nova Scotia -- Manure is about as natural a crop fertilizer as you can get, but that doesn't mean it's harmless to the environment. When runoff from farms washes the nutrient-laden manure into estuaries, it can cause algae to grow excessively. As the algae decomposes, it robs the water of oxygen fish need to survive.

The nutrients nitrates and phosphates that manure contains "are water soluble, and can leach out of the soil unless they are bound by plants or plant residue," according to Janet Wallace of the Nova Scotia Organic Growers Association (NSOGA). Agricultural runoff can also deposit herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, and silt into estuaries, she explained.

NSOGA plans to use a $4,762 grant from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment along with funding from the Canadian government to evaluate the benefits of using catch crops, also called cover crops, on agricultural land in the Annapolis River Valley.

Catch crops include oats, ryegrass, fall rye, and oilseed radish. They provide water-trapping ground cover, reducing runoff, nutrient loss, and erosion. These crops also use nutrients in the soil, reducing the amount available to be washed into estuaries.

The grant will help NSOGA continue educating vegetable, grain, and corn farmers about the benefits of catch crops.

"Although using cover crops involves a bit more work and buying more seed, farmers can reduce their need for fertilizer in the following year, and improve soil quality and water quality at the same time," Wallace explained.

Nutrient runoff is a significant issue in the Annapolis river watershed, said Wallace. In the Annapolis River Valley, farmland extends to the riverbank. The Annapolis River feeds into the Bay of Fundy. Many Nova Scotia farms are near the bay, or close to rivers that drain into it, she noted.

Based in Margaretsville, in the upper coastal corner of Annapolis County, NSOGA formed about seven years ago, and now has a membership of more than 100 growers, along with some consumers, activists, and scientists, said Wallace. The group is already using cover crops to crowd out weeds, reducing the need for herbicides that can also harm wildlife habitat.

A drought has dried up participation in the catch crop project this year, but many farmers are interested in trying them next year, Wallace said.

For more information, contact Janet Wallace at NSOGA via E-mail jwallace@istar.ca or at