Sally Bernard is learning more about how to graze cattle on her organic grain farm through research as one of this year's Nuffield Canada scholars.After three years of grazing cattle on their organic grain farm, the owners of Barnyard Organics in Freetown, P.E.I., are already seeing the benefits. Sally Bernard's black and white cows wander over a field in Freetown, P.E.I., chewing on hay and basking in the warm April sunshine.
"I just wanted to meet other people that are doing it elsewhere, get their ideas, network with them, share some of those challenges and successes," Bernard said.Sally Bernard, of Barnyard Organics in Freetown, P.E.I., is about to study how cattle might help improve farm yields if used as part of crop rotation — while also helping soil health and biodiversity — thanks to a Nuffield Canada Agriculture Scholarship. CBC's Isabelle Gallant stopped by to learn more about her research.
"Having a farm with one commodity is already a lot of management," she said. "So incorporating those other things does complicate it."Grazing in a cropping rotation is uncommon on P.E.I., so farmer Sally Bernard is doing international research through Nuffield Canada. Beyond improving soil biology, their cattle herd boosts the fertility of their soil by providing free manure. And that saves money they'd otherwise spend on expensive fertilizer.
"I think it's a bit foolish to ignore the potential that farmers have to sequester carbon," said Bernard. In the warmer months, the cows are moved twice a day so they can eat the freshest grass and graze the field evenly. "If we have better soil health, more carbon sequestered, higher levels of organic matter — that soil will have a better ability to sustain a crop during periods of drought, for example," he explains.