Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) is working with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) to assess best management practices (BMPs) for the removal of marginal cropland from annual production. The study identifies how managing those areas differently can impact the profitability and/or environmental stewardship of a farm operation.
This ongoing project aims to identify options to restore or convert economically marginal farmland, evaluate technology that can aid implementation, identify operational implications, and assess the economic cost benefit for each option. This project brings value to producers to identify strategies to manage marginal farmland based on the observed environmental factors and showcase how producers can increase their per-acre-profitability while bettering their environmental sustainability.
Funders/Partners: Farm Credit Canada (FCC)
This project report represents the first year of monitoring following the conversion of approximately 11 acres of economically marginal cropland at the Olds College Smart Farm (Field 18 and Steckler) to perennial forage and pollinator habitat.
Marginal land within cultivated fields of annual crops can be found in many areas within Canada, with marginal land meaning unsuitable for, or less suitable for, producing a desired crop within the field. Conducting conventional farming practices across both productive and nonproductive acres results in reduced profitability and the deterioration of land.
The objective of this project is to identify alternative uses and best management practices (BMPs) for marginal farmland and technologies that aid in their implementation.