2014 Conservation Farm Award

Charles Desmarais

The Winner of the 2014 Conservation Farm Award was announced at the Essex Soil & Crop Improvement Association (ESCIA) Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 4, 2014. The award is presented each year to the farming operation which best display’s conservation minded farming practices from those nominated. The farms are graded on tillage practices, crop rotation, chemical use and storage, knowledge of fertility programs, Best Management Practices and overall farm maintenance. The winner is determined by a committee of Directors from the Essex Soil & Crop Improvement Association. This year the winner of the Conservation Farm Award is Charles Desmarais of Stoney Point.

Features of Charles Desmarais farm includes: no-till cropping with an emphasis on building soil organic matter and soil health including cover crops; precision soil sampling; variable rate fertilizer application; ditch and creek banks protected by wide, vegetative buffer zones; treed windbreaks to protect top soil from wind erosion; and drop inlets for drainage to reduce soil erosion. Other features include new tree plantings and a mature woodlot. Charles Desmarais has participated in the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan program and the Essex Region Conservation Authority’s Clean Water ~ Green Spaces program to implement many of the Best Management Practices on his farm.

Congratulations to Charles Desmarais and keep up the fine work!

Cover Crops

Tree Planting

Buffered Drain

The Essex Conservation Farm Award is sponsored annually by the Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association, and the Essex Region Conservation Authority.

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