| "We used the resource management workshop concept of developing farm plans using air photos and combined it with the resource planning requirements of a Holistic Resource Management (HRM) group to develop this unique workshop," explains Randy Perkins, Conservation Technologist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
Perkins is describing a workshop held recently in Fairview. LandWise Inc. led the air photo portion, where participants used air photos and various resource parameters to plan out their farm. Don Campbell, a Holistic Management Instructor from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan led the HRM component of the workshop. "Other workshop speakers included government specialists and a guest speaker from the Alberta Fish and Game Association in Edmonton to explain wildlife programs that benefit landowners," says Perkins.
"In holistic management, when you make a decision or take an action you test it against your goals," explains Peter Lundgard from Fairview. The three goals of holistic management are: quality of life; forms of production to obtain that quality of life; and future resource base description. This workshop focused on the third goal. "After completing the workshop, participants should be able to write, draw and describe what their future landscape description or resource base is going to be," he adds.
"Topics covered during the workshop included mapping the farm using air photos, topography and soil types, and then applying that to riparian area management, wildlife habitat and biodiversity," says Lundgard. Two other important concepts were the water cycle and nutrient cycling of the landscape.
"With the water cycle, we have to take into consideration field scale shelterbelts for snow trapping, crops including forages and other tools such as stockpiling perennial forages to maintain water quality of water sources and riparian areas," explains Lundgard.
The nutrient cycling of the landscape requires the maintenance of certain levels of nutrients for plants. "When tying the nutrient cycling together with livestock, we have to have a description of our resource base in order to plan and monitor the resource base plan," says Lundgard.
Not only did participants go home from this comprehensive workshop with the tools and knowledge to plan their farm and make decisions, they also received a resource binder that includes an air photo and a soil map specific to their farm. "At the end of the course, participants have the air photos with their farm plans, and information on what they need to pay attention to on the plan," says Lundgard.
The future resource base description will help them decide what to grow where, where to site water sources and other factors. Perkins says, "By developing a farm plan, participants get a bird's eye view of the farm and learn how to manage their land through a planning process rather than just picking a location." Lundgard adds, "When they need to make a decision on any change, such as what crop to grow or how to incorporate livestock in the various seasons, then they have something to test the decision against."
The workshop was funded in part by the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (AESA) Program.
For more information, contact Randy Perkins |