Conservation Farm Award

2021 Conservation Farm Award

Copper's Hawk Vineyards

The Winner of the 2021 Conservation Farm Award was announced at the Essex Soil & Crop Improvement Association (ESCIA) Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 2, 2021. 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 Cooper's Hawk Vineyards of Harrow.

Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards have established many conservation practices on their fields over the years.

Over 7000 trees have been planted on 8 acres in the forms of shelterbelts and windbreaks. A wetland was also constructed on 3 acres. A community planting event established native wetland plants, prairie seed, shrubs and trees on the berms around the one acre wetland feature. The remaining area was surrounded with native trees and shrubs, prairie grasses and forbs.

The vineyards are tended using minimum herbicide applications, and a compost made from the by-products in wine making process as a soil amendment, as well as annual applications of SMS, (spent mushroom substrate) from Highline mushrooms. Field management practices on their grain fields incorporate minimum/no till management systems with cover crops to reduce soil erosion and promote soil health. An adjacent creek is protected and buffered with a 30 foot riparian grassed strip. And field tile outlets were constructed with rip rap stone and are regularly maintained.

Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards is owned and operated by Tom and Katy O'Brien and Debbie and David Meloche. They have used funding from the Essex Region Conservation Authority’s Clean Water ~ Green spaces program, and the Essex County Stewardship Network program, to implement many of the Best Management Practices on his farm.

Cooper’s Hawk

Tree Plantings

Pollinator Habitat

Rock Chutes

Wetland Creation

2019 Conservation Farm Award

Paquette Farms of Malden

The Winner of the 2019 Conservation Farm Award was announced at the Essex Soil & Crop Improvement Association (ESCIA) Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2019. 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 Paquette Farms of Malden Ltd.

Features of Paquette Farms include use of red clover for a cover crop; minimum till and no-till cropping; precision soil sampling; variable rate fertilizer application; water and sediment control structures (WASCoB) and rock chutes to reduce soil erosion; and buffer strips along water courses. Paquette’s have planted thousands of white cedar trees in windbreaks on many of their farms in the Amherstburg area. Robert farms together with sons Richard, Gerald and Bradley. They have participated in the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan program, and the Essex Region Conservation Authority’s Clean Water ~ Green spaces program. They have used these programs to implement many of the Best Management Practices on their farms.

Windbreaks

Buffered Drains

Rock Chute Spillways

Windbreaks

WASCobs

Congratulations to Paquette Farms and keep up the fine work!

2018 Conservation Farm Award

Maurice Chauvin

The Winner of the 2018 Conservation Farm Award was announced at the Essex Soil & Crop Improvement Association (ESCIA) Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 6, 2018. 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. The year's winner of the Conservation Farm Award was Maurice Chauvin of Pointe-aux-Roches.

Features of Maurice Chauvin’s Farm include use of cover crops such as oats; minimum till and no-till cropping; precision soil sampling; variable rate fertilizer application; rock chutes to reduce soil erosion and buffer strips along water courses. Their farm incorporates header tiles and controlled drainage systems to control the water table and limit the amount of fertilizer run-off. An early adapter of precision farming, Moe uses advanced software and GPS land formation technology to improve surface drainage while preserving top soil. A sixth generation farmer, Moe farms with the help of his son Shawn and his father Robert. They have participated in the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan program since its beginning and have a Farmland Health Checkup. They have used the programs to implement many of the Best Management Practices on their farms.