b'REGEN AG VOICES| SUPPORTED BY: The Future of Regenerative Agriculture Lies in New BrunswickThe Farm of the Future works to provide new technology, resources and methods to improve yields and farming for McCain growers across the globe. BY: ALLY RODENTHE REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE movement has taken the agricultural world by storm, and McCain Foods has taken its efforts one step furtherby 2030, all of the companys potato products will be made from spuds grown through regen ag practices. To help them achieve this goal, the Canadian Farm of the Future was born as a testing ground for McCains regen ag push. Located in Florenceville, N.B., the farm is composed of 500 acres360 acres of cultivated land and 140 wooded and non-productive acres. More than 150 additional acres are also being rented from a neighbour.The practices that have been implemented on the farm thus far include fall ridging and cover cropping,A flowering potato field at McCain Foods Canadian Farm of the Future in Florenceville, N.B.biodiversity enhancement, controlledPHOTO: DAVE BAILEY, MCCAIN FOODStraffic farming systems to combat compaction, green manuring throughThe industry is facing so manyfarmer, it can be a risk sometimes. At the multispecies cover crops and underproblems, whether its weather volatility,Farm of the Future, they are willing to seeded perennials and livestocklosing topsoil yearly, early crop dying orrisk it first, shares Alyre Poitras, a New integration and rotational grazing topest resistance to pesticides, high inputBrunswick potato grower.allow for nutrient cycling and reducedcosts, unavailability of skilled operatorsPoitras and his son Paul attended two fertilizer rates. New chemistries with lowor crop yield stagnation. To solve some offield days at the Farm of the Futurethe environmental impact measured withthese challenges, we have implementedfirst in mid-June of 2022 and their most Cornell Universitys EIQ, the planting ofthese regenerative practices, says Fageria. recent visit in November 2022. They were flowering strips to attract wild pollinatorsThe arm completed its secondgreatly impressed by the farm, especially and bees and soil friendly equipmentsuccessful growing season in 2022by the fall hilling and cover cropping.including the chisel plow and dammerwith over 28 plant species planted inWe could see that the soil at the Farm diker are also utilized, explains Manphooldifferent fields to enhance biodiversityof the Future was nice, rich and full of life Fageria, senior scientist and managerand regenerate soil. The soil surface wasjust by stepping on it, smelling it or simply of Canadas Farm of the Future, in ancovered with green vegetation for moreby looking at the plant that was growing interview with Spud Smart. than 181 days. The cover crops acted asin it. A plant was constantly growing in These various regen practices offera source of nutrition for bacteria, fungi,the soil, keeping it alive and safe from an extensive list of potential benefits forearthworms and additional soil organisms,erosion, says Poitras.growers, such as the saving of topsoil,increasing carbon in the soil, adds Fageria. In the future, the farm will begin reduction of compaction and soil erosion,For growers, the Farm of the Futureimplementing more clean energy increase of water infiltration, breakdownprovides a resource to look towardspractices, including solar panels and drip of the disease and pest cycle, nitrogenwhen thinking about implementing theseirrigation to optimize water use. Fageria fixation and the enhancement of carbonpractices and efforts onto their own farms.expects the solar panels to be installed by sequestration. When we try something new as athis summer.64SPUDSMART.COM Spring 2023'