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Bees Like Diversity: Polycultures Can Support Many Kinds of Pollinators

Agriculture depends on pollination from insects, specifically wild bees; however, habitat alteration and climate change are impacting biodiversity, and subsequently pollination. Agriculture can either provide resources to support pollinator communities or contribute to their decline. Large-scale…

Northern BC (Bulkley-Nechako and Fraser-Fort George): Finding our farm pollinators

Insects pollinate many crops. In some cases, this process is essential for food production (and hence, food security); however, in other cases, insect pollination may not be essential but can greatly increase yields. Understanding the pollination services being provided in an area requires…

Improving highbush blueberry nitrogen management with nitrification inhibitors

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of nitrification inhibitors, applied with two nitrogen fertilizer rates (60 vs. 120 kg N/ha) and two fertigation systems (suspended vs. buried), on blueberry yield and soil nitrate and ammonium levels.In British Columbia (BC), ammonium sulfate…

Moo-ve over: Reducing negative effects of livestock grazing near streams in cutblocks

This study looked at the use of logging debris as a deterrent for cattle grazing near waterways in order to reduce negative effects on plant biodiversity.Riparian zones are important ecosystems that provide multiple benefits including moderating stream temperatures, providing shade for fish and the…

Balancing nitrogen and phosphorus on vegetable farms in southwest BC

To better understand the tradeoffs farmers face between nutrient management strategies, we evaluated three different approaches in two years of field trials across 20 mixed vegetable farms located in Pemberton, Vancouver Island, and in the Fraser Valley.Like many crops, vegetables require…

KPU Southwest British Columbia Small-Scale Farm Enterprise Budget 2015: Potato

This enterprise budget presents costs and returns for one acre of potatoes grown on a small-scale mixed vegetable farm in southwest British Columbia, Canada. 

Farmland Hedgerows: Hedgerow Benefits and the Delta, BC Hedgerow Project

Hedgerows are trees, shrubs and grasses bordering the edges of farm fields. These areas provide numerous agricultural and environmental benefits. It is for these benefits that farmers in the lower Fraser River Delta have been planting hedgerows since 1995 with the support of the Delta Farmland…

Economic and environmental benefits of reducing nitrogen fertilization in potato fields

This study evaluated the economic and environmental tradeoffs of three nitrogen application rates (0, 90, and 120 kg N per hectare) in potato production.Decades of intensive cultivation, along with challenges caused by inherent soil properties (poor drainage, fine soil textures), in the Fraser…