1 By: Dave Reid & Bryan Gilvesy Thursday, January 31, 2008 Manvers Community Centre Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians Alternative Land.

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By: Dave Reid & Bryan Gilvesy

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Manvers Community Centre

Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)In Norfolk County

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Outline

1. What is ALUS? Status of the Norfolk County ALUS pilot proposal and actions to date by Dave Reid, Stewardship Coordinator, NLSC

2. Perspective of Bryan Gilvesy re: his ALUS Demonstration Farm, the Environment and Sustainable Food Production

Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

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• Proposed national policy for Canada

• Similar to US Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and European multi-functionality program

• Test concept via pilots – eg. Norfolk County, MB, PEI, SK, AB and ?

What is ALUS? (see brochure)

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• Reward farmers via incentives (annual payments, property tax reductions, extension assistance, shared start up costs) to deliver ecological services to society

• Landscape impact;

• Developed/delivered by farmers and the farm community;

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Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

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Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

• Jan 16/02 Ian Wishart & Bob Bailey present ALUS concept @ OS meeting

• March /02 NFA endorse pursuing pilot • Organizing committee 6x meetings in

2002• $260 thousand expended to date (pre-

pilot) originating from 24 partners … this funded actions to date

• March 4 & 5/03 Evaluation workshop• Jan 31/04 Norfolk ALUS pilot proposal

completed• Fund raising for County wide pilot started

in spring 2006

History of Norfolk ALUS Pilot Proposal

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Operating Principles(see brochure)

• Voluntary – farmers chose to participate

• Capping – enrol up to 20% of farmed land

• Integrated – link to EFP & existing programs

• Flexible – 9-year agreement; 3-year intervals

• Targeted – focus on fragile or marginal lands

• Accountable – audit to ensure “bang for buck”

Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

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Incentives

• Annual payment based on land area and varying from $10 - $150/ac/yr depending upon specific service and extent of continued farm use of affected area

• Share start up costs 50 – 75% while capitalizing

on existing incentive programs• Extension assistance on farm• Property tax rebate

Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

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Evaluation & Research

• This is a pilot to test the ALUS concept• We don’t have all the answers• University of Guelph involvement• Two primary objectives:1. Assess our community’s capacity to manage &

deliver EG&S, and;2. Can we successfully integrate existing

programs via collaborative community structure?

Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

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• Partnership Advisory Committee formed in fall 2004 … 3x Norfolk farmers, 1x Countycouncillor, 1x Delta Waterfowl VP, 1x Long Point Foundation chair and NLSC coordinator form the core group and have met 22x to administer and manage the Norfolk pilot … guests from OMAFRA, Agricorp, MNR, OFA, LPRCA and AAFC have provided input.

Pre-Pilot Actions to Date

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• Benchmark Survey (6,200 mailed) in 2005 yielded 731 returns from farmers, rural non-farmers and town folk re: opinions on the current state of social, economic and environmental conditions in Norfolk County … results published July 18, 2006 and available @ NLSC website …

www.ontariostewardship.org/norfolk

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• ALUS Demonstration Watershed being developed to restore riparian buffers on 5x municipal drains in South Creek watershed … involves potentially 30x farmers … aim to increase % channel buffered from 30% to 75%;26 of 30 priority sites identified by MNR through GIS now have minimum 4 m. vegetated buffers … all landowners approached through farmer-to-farmer liaison … all chose the ALUS type annual payment of $150/ac/yr over 3-year agreement … this raised extent of creek length buffered from 36.4% to 71.1% affecting ~25 acres for a 3-year cost of $11,126

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• 4x ALUS Demonstration Farms established to show the public, interested farmers and potential investors the merits of the concept.

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Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

Committed Funds ($954,800)

• $15,000 National Wild Turkey Federation• $75,000 Metcalf Foundation• $25,000 Norfolk Land Steward. Council• $56,000 Wetland Drain Restoration• $2,000 Ont. Fed. of Anglers & Hunters Zone J• $2,000 Ruffed Grouse Society• $5,000 Long Point Region C.A.• $216,500 Ontario Trillium Foundation• $10,000 OFAH Fish & Wildlife Fund• $10,000 Ohio Duck Stamp

Cash Commitments to Norfolk ALUS Pilot

• $104,440 Ministry of Natural Resources• $105,000 Canada Ontario Agreement• $120,000 Delta Waterfowl Foundation• $96,000 CanAdvance via Agricultural

Adaptation Council• $112,860 Ontario Power Generation

Tentative Funds ($2,000+)• $?????? OMAFRA Drainage Act• $?????? Participating Farmers• $2,000 Ruffed Grouse Society

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Farmers Growing a Better Environment for Canadians

• ALUS Project Coordinator hired in August of 2007• Revised/scaled back pilot launched Sept. 20/07 … 3x field seasons

and final report on test due March 31, 2011• Winter workshops for farmers (Nov. 28/07; Dec. 5/07; Jan. 9/08) …

distribute Expressions of Interest applications … 24x received to date and more expected

• Establish several additional ALUS demonstration farms and many other demonstration sites

• Site visits by farmer liaison and extension staff ongoing• Use GIS technology and farmer to farmer approach to target priority

sites requiring restoration on Patterson Creek (6,056 ha; 13,355 ac.)• Continue to fund raise for County wide implementation

OUR WAY FORWARD

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Patterson CreekBuffer Restoration

• 6,056 ha sub-watershed 13,353 acres• 25% forest cover• 51% of creek length buffered• 79 sites needing buffers

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ALUS Demonstration FarmPerspective

By Bryan GilvesyProprietor of YU Ranch

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1. 8 acre prairie grass pasture2. Fencing to protect adjacent

woodlands3. 400’ switchgrass hedge4. 100 acre Carolinian woodland5 a – b Bluebird nesting box trail6 a solar pump alternative

livestock watering6 b waterfowl nesting structures

(2x henhouses)6 c bottom draw conversion of on

stream dam for coldwater outflow

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Creek crossing to be fenced

Convert to bottom drawRemote pasture now watered

Solar panel & intake

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Cattle enjoy pasture after mid-July ‘06

Prairie after only 4 months

Prescribed burn spring ‘06 Cattle return to prairie after watering

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We're going the distance so

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The Tale’s End!

ALUS is a landscape approach to nurture environmental services (EG&S) from private farmed land …“Farmers are the original stewards of the land and this is the foundation upon which ALUS is built” says Bauke Vogelzang, past-president, Norfolk Federation of Agriculture and senior member of our ALUS committee.