Last 4-H club in Yarmouth County thriving

by Wyatt Pitman
The Prince Charles 4-H Club is a rich part of 4-H history that has persevered in keeping the 4-H movement alive in Nova Scotia’s Yarmouth County. It began in 1950 in the Chegoggin area and was named after the young Prince Charles.

Harold Wilson was the agricultural representative who began the club and Jack Throp was the first leader. It was originally just for dairy calves and was called the Prince Charles 4-H Calf Club. But it has changed and grown over the years to include many more projects for the youth of Yarmouth County.

Dairy is still one of the most popular projects, with more than 40 members enrolling in that project alone in 2019.

A notable person involved in the Prince Charles club is Richard Churchill. Rick, as he prefers to be called, has participated in 4-H for more than 45 years as a member, project leader, council member, and even council president for four years. He also provides his dairy farm as a spot for multiple 4-H events, including the dairy project, judging, clinics, barbecues, and so much more. Rick is one of the main reasons that the Prince Charles club is still active, and his dedication to our club has been the kind that embodies what 4-H represents.

At one point, our 4-H club was down to only the dairy project. But we rebounded over the years to the point that we offered 26 projects with leaders during the 2018-19 4-H year, including tug of war and woodsmen teams.

The Prince Charles club is sadly the only club left out of a dozen that were established in Yarmouth County. But our club has strong, dedicated leaders who are ready to keep it alive for years to come.

For several years, 4-H was not as popular as it had once been. But it’s seen a rise in interest in the last few years that has enabled us to provide more projects and activities. This depends on dedication from members, leaders, family members, and volunteers, especially with fundraising. Our main fundraiser for the past 25 years has been selling five-pound boxes of wild blueberries. Each member takes orders for the blueberries, then a pickup day is arranged and people from the community come to Rick Churchill’s farm to get their berries. This money goes toward accommodations for members attending the 4-H Nova Scotia Provincial Show. 

The Prince Charles club began 2020 with 75 members and big plans for the coming year. But sadly, many projects had barely started when COVID-19 brought things to a crashing halt. We had just completed our county speeches before the pandemic prevented us from proceeding to the regional and provincial levels. It also kept us from holding our annual Ski Martock trip, judging day, achievement day, exhibition, August beach party, Provincial Show, and year-end banquet.

Our regular meetings, workshops, clinics, and shows were also cancelled as Nova Scotia went into lockdown. We haven’t been able to be an active part of our community and we can’t wait to get back to volunteering. I never thought I’d say I miss picking up trash from the roadside or sorting it at Yarmouth Ribfest. Many of us loved to help serve at the annual roast beef fundraising supper put on by Gilles Boudreau and the Friends Cancer Help Fund. Those are just a couple of ways we’ve worked together to make our community a better place!

Our plans for the near future depend largely on 4-H Nova Scotia’s five-phase reopening plan. Our club still opened registration this year and closed with 19 returning members who will do self-determined projects. In the event of restrictions lifting, we’ll be able to organize some events to help break the boredom of this pandemic and do some safe socializing together. We have great hopes to move forward with fewer restrictions when we can once again gather together to “learn to do by doing.”

(Wyatt Pitman was elected the Prince Charles 4-H Club’s president in 2019. He’s a 15-year-old Grade 10 home-school student. This is his fourth year in 4-H. He loves public speaking, volunteering, and the challenges 4-H provides. He has been part of the foods, woodworking, first aid, and great outdoors projects.)

February is a good time to consider bull power

by Amy Higgins
Oh, February. It’s the shortest month of the year and the one I consider the last real month of winter because even if March is blustery and wintery, it’s still closer to spring coming. So, what kinds of things do we think about in February? One critical piece to a cow-calf operation is bull power. This is normally the time of year that bulls come to market. The Maritime Beef Test Station in Nappan, N.S., is one place to go look but there are breeders who feed their own and sell via a private treaty or private bull sale. 

In the Atlantic Beef School module on herd procurement and retention that was presented back in November, Alberta rancher and consultant Sean McGrath gave some tips on what to look for when selecting animals – whether heifers or bulls. There is no silver bullet. There are different goals and different production systems in the beef world. The key is knowing what you’re trying to produce and working backwards from there.  

What are your goals? Are you selling most of your calves into the feeder market to go to work in feedlots or are you breeding retention females and bulls to pass along genetic influence in your own herd or someone else’s herd. A bull that’s ideal for one may not necessarily be great for the other.

I won’t get into what breeds to use. We could spend all day arguing and never get anywhere on the ideal breed for your operation. There are great bulls around the Maritimes representing all the major breeds. It really is a case of finding one that suits your goals. You may plan to maximize on the hybrid vigour of a crossbreeding program or you may have to use something that fits into a straightbred program. 

A herd bull battery – whether that’s one bull or five bulls – is going to influence 50 percent of your following year’s calf crop and is a critical piece to think about. 

Metrics are something that every producer will have a different take on depending on – you guessed it – their goals. Low birth weight and calving ease tend to be popular traits that result in a slippery slope if selected too hard for.

A cautionary tale is that if you continue to retain heifers out of ultra-low-birth weight bulls, that may drive down the size of your cow herd, which may require you to continue selecting that way. Being cautious of first-calf heifers and breeding them one way and then using a moderate bull to cover your cow herd may be a good play. Don’t get me wrong, pulling a baby elephant out of a cow or having to pay for a number of C-sections is not good business sense short or long term. Tend toward moderation.

Extreme traits typically cause some issue. For example, extremely high rib-eye scores usually means lower marbling scores. And high milk numbers may correlate with feed inefficiency because the cow tends to have a greater dry matter intake. 

The Maritime Beef Test Station animals have the benefit of a robust set of numbers, so you’re able to perhaps identify the balances and/or trade-offs of the metrics. And the Beef Cattle Research Council – at www.beefresearch.ca – has a handy calculator to help you figure out what your bull budget may be.

Having these thought experiments about why we’re selecting the bulls that we are can lead to great strides in genetic improvement. 

(Amy Higgins is the Maritime Beef Council’s industry coordinator. She raises purebred Angus cattle on the family farm in Quispamsis, N.B., and also operates a veggie box program. She’s president of both the New Brunswick and Maritime Angus associations.)

Biological control is a great alternative to chemicals

by Talia Plaskett
Growers of all sorts – including greenhouse growers – have experienced the headache of having to control for pests and disease in their crops. While the typical control method has been chemical sprays that target key points of a pest’s metabolism, there’s been a significant change in management strategies during the past few decades. The shift toward a more ecosystem-based strategy has gained traction and allows growers to diversify when dealing with pest and disease issues. 

Biological control uses naturally occurring insects, bacteria, and fungi to control pests and disease. Through extensive research, these agents have been found to occupy the habitats that pests need to thrive. They infect or predate the pests that damage crops, resulting in reduced population size. We now have a diversity of tools to manage the biotic stresses our crops inevitably face. 

When it comes to managing pest populations, biological control is a great alternative to conventional chemicals. Unlike conventional chemicals, there are no post-harvest or re-entry intervals associated with biological control. There is also no risk of developing pesticide resistance when relying on biological control, meaning conventional sprays can be effectively used in emergency situations in which crop performance and yield are threatened. In addition, some biological control products have positive secondary side effects. For example, increased overall immunity, higher-yielding plants, and better uptake of nutrients and water have been witnessed as the results of applying certain beneficial microbes to the root systems of plants. 

Biological control, although a fantastic tool, cannot realize its full potential on its own. It requires a few other key components to be successful. These are collectively known as “integrated pest management” (IPM). IPM is the strategic use of all the tools in your toolbox to manage pests and disease in your grow space. It consists of prevention, scouting, identification, response, monitoring, evaluation, and record keeping. 

A major aspect of a successful IPM program is prevention. By implementing certain biosecurity protocols for all greenhouse staff members, you can significantly reduce pest and disease pressure. Practices such as quarantining incoming plant material, wearing clean work clothing every day, using clean growing media and supplies for every production round, and implementing strict order-of-entry protocols can reduce pest movement into a greenhouse and movement throughout the greenhouse. This serves as your first line of defence against any biotic stress in your grow space. 

Another important tool in your IPM toolbox is scouting. You need to know what pests are in your crop and in what quantity. Insects can be monitored using yellow or blue sticky cards. Ideally, these are replaced weekly so that you can assess the current state of the crop. Indicator plants, which are highly susceptible to pest and disease infestation, are another way to monitor your growing space. 

Making regular checks throughout the crop canopy is also very important. Know which areas of the plant to focus on. For example, whiteflies are typically found on the growing points of the plants while aphids like to hang out on the underside of more mature leaves. A plant’s crown and roots are the best places to check for root disease. Some pests, such as whiteflies, are easily displaced by jostling the plant while others, such as Spider mites, are not. Checking all these boxes regularly is key to preventing a major infestation. 

Once you get a sense of what’s happening in your crop, you can respond with the application of an appropriate biological control. However, your job is not done at that point. Following this release with regular crop checks is crucial to management. Is your biological control working? Are you seeing a reduction in the pest you’re looking to get rid of? Is the new growth looking healthier than the old growth? By scouting, you can answer these questions and adjust accordingly. If the control isn’t working, it’s back to the drawing board. Why did your biologicals fail? Were they released properly? Was it the appropriate response to the problem? Are there incompatibilities (environmental, predatorial, target stage of life, etc.) in your grow space?

Biological control agents on their own aren’t going to be the holy grail of pest and disease management. By instituting biosecurity protocols for all employees, you reduce the initial pest and disease load. By monitoring the pre- and post-release of your control measures, you know exactly what is present, what life stage it’s in, and how much of it there is. By keeping detailed notes throughout the season, you can track seasonal fluctuations and hotspots throughout the greenhouse in order to better tackle issues in the coming year.

Each tool in your IPM toolbox must be given the attention it deserves. One weak link in the chain leaves the whole system vulnerable. It’s important to consider this when you’re planning your next crop and its pest management strategy. A well-maintained greenhouse ecosystem is well worth the effort. It’s just a matter of consistency, fine-tuning, and practice.

(Talia Plaskett is a protected crop specialist with Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.)

Telling your farm’s stories via social media

by Lisa Ashworth
Just as the winter months are a good time to focus on some continued learning, as we discussed in last month’s column, it’s also a great time to work on your online presence. Posting to social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok is a great way to promote your products, tell your story, educate the public about local agriculture and production practices, and underline the importance of supporting local businesses.

The pandemic forced us to pivot last year’s Open Farm Day to an online event. While we can hope we’ll be able to meet in person on our farms this fall, some of us may want to continue with the online aspect as well. Indeed, many farms are using social media channels very effectively all year long.

PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCTS

While farm-gate sales may have been the furthest income-generating idea from our minds a year ago, it may be something you’ve thought about more since COVID-19 arrived in our lives. Diversifying to include farm-gate sales – whether it’s beef from the freezer, jams, microgreens, fresh-cut flowers, eggs, excess potatoes, or something else completely – an online presence can help boost farm-gate sales. 

Letting the general public know what happens on your farm can be closely linked with increasing farm-gate sales. Even if you’re not doing direct sales, your social media presence and the stories you tell can give the public an inside look at a farm’s operations. You’re breaking down the barriers, much as we do with Open Farm Day.

WHERE ARE YOUR STORIES?

You may be thinking, “Oh, no one cares about what happens on my farm.” But this is no time for modesty. The chores we may find mundane can be some of the best stories to tell the general public.

Where do cattle get their water in the winter? How soon can you begin working in the field in the spring? How are microgreens grown? Where do the chickens sleep? How are potatoes stored? How does the manure get cleaned from around the cows in the barn? What does the inside of a tractor look like?

When you begin to think of telling short stories about your farm, there are ideas around every corner. 

SUPPORTING LOCAL

If COVID-19 has taught us anything from a business point of view, it’s the importance of supporting local entrepreneurs, including farmers. Use social media to tell the story of how your operation supports the community.

Did you donate beef for the steak darts at the legion? Supply the eggs for the fundraiser breakfast for the family that lost their home to a fire? Take flowers to the local nursing home? Help arrange a milk donation to the kids’ soccer league? Adopt a family in need instead of holding a farm staff Christmas party?

Your social media presence gives you a chance to both promote the event and show your pride in being part of the event. Other means of promoting support of local businesses include mentions and shout-outs to other local entrepreneurs. Tag the local hardware store, feed supplier, or your neighbour whenever possible.

GETTING STARTED

Chances are, you’re not going to break anything, so don’t be afraid to play around with social media platforms. Make a couple of posts and try it out. Check out the settings and follow other accounts that interest you or are doing something you enjoy.

A great resource to get you started is the Social Media Toolkit: A guide for farmers, fishermen, and producers of New Brunswick. It provides detailed information on popular social media channels – including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn – with advice on how to set up accounts and grow your audience. There’s a section on website building platforms. There’s a list of helpful social media tips and tricks for hashtags and social media schedulers, calendars, and analytics. And there’s advice on the best times and number of times to post.

You can access the guide at www.fermenbfarm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Socialmediatoolkit2018EN.pdf. And if you’re looking for some inspiration, visit www.fermenbfarm.ca/events/open-farm-day to see what others did in 2020.

(Lisa Ashworth is president of the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick.)