Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
LUSKVILLE Nov. 7, 2017
Pontiac farmers were invited to an information session last week on how they could reduce pollutants in their soil while potentially increasing crop yield.
Hosted at Stépido Farm in Luskville, around ten local farmers attended the meeting on intercropping trials in cereals fields, learning about Pontiac farms that have put the methods to test.
The study conducted was of intercropping clover within cereals and the benefits to both the soil and crops.

“If clover is added between rows, it can reduce nitrous in the next year’s crop,” said Pierre-Olivier Romain, an agrologist from Bélanger Agro-Consultants.
As the majority of the gathered group was more proficient in French, the presentation was given in that language. Romain translated and summarized what was said into English, but this portion of the presentation was hosted by Christine Rieux, an agrologist from the MAPAQ office in Shawville.
Romain said a substitute for chemicals had to be studied since water tests showed high levels of phosphorus and nitrous. When many beef and dairy farms turned to cash cropping, more of the land became treated with pesticides and herbicides, which stripped the soil and left nothing to hold back chemicals from polluting the water system and upsetting the ecosystem.
The process of intercropping clover helps to remedy this situation. Clover has the ability to grab nitrogen from the atmosphere, process it and convert it into nutrients, and in turn, a safer, healthier environment.
“What we’ve seen over the last decade is doing this will also produce a greater yield,” said Romain. “It’s a slower process, but [potentially] greater yield.”
Rolling Acres Farm, in Clarendon, participated in a study implementing white clover into their oats fields. Four plots were dedicated to the study, each 60 ft wide by 759 ft long, with two dedicated to just oats and the other two a mixture of oats and clover. A buffer zone of 32 ft wide by 759 ft long was placed between each of the plots.
While yield was less on mixture fields, there were less nitrogen requirements, less competition from weeds, more durable soil leading to microbial growth and less soil erosion.
Stephen Hamilton, owner of Rolling Acres Farm, admitted that the process created more work for him, but he hoped that it would have a greater payoff.
“My interest was in soil health,” said Hamilton.
Of course, this season’s weather was not ideal for anyone’s crops, making it harder for him to regularly tend his field and cultivate crops.
The second portion of the presentation was dedicated to a different kind of intercropping, integrating winter wheat and rye grass into a soybean crop. Stephen Alary, owner of the Stépido Farm, spoke on the effectiveness of this solution, as the method was conducted at this location in Luskville.
However, he also said there was an issue for starting this method and it’s a big one – money. Alary said that with ongoing trials and the time necessary to start up an intercropping method, it does take away from profits in the first few years.
“You lose a bit of yield with intercropping in the first year,” he said. “It takes five to seven years to [see the] benefits.”
Alary said that he initially agreed to participate in this study around ten years ago because he believed in his worms and the benefits for his land, not to mention future generations.
“Worms are an animal you don’t see, but are important for agriculture,” said Alary.
He added that by encouraging the life of worms in soil, more air can be brought into the earth, creating a healthier base for crops.
As well, Alary said he believes there should be some sort of program in place by the government to assist with initial starting costs to intercropping.
“It would be nice to have a program to help afford to put something in the ground,” said Alary.
He pointed to all the variables in place while starting this program, as different clovers are better in various climates, amongst other factors like the year’s weather. It’s possible, he said, to lose 20 tonnes per hectare and potentially up to 200 tonnes per hectare of a yield.
“After three to five years, it may be more affordable to do this,” said Alary.
The session and studies were put on through a collaboration between Bélanger Agro-Consultants, the Pontiac Soil Management Club and the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This was a project carried out under the ministry’s Prime-Vert program with research conducted by the Research and Development Institute for the Agri-Environment.
“This kind of cropping will cost in the beginning but be better in the future, for the next generation,” said Alary. “The problem is farmers can’t always afford to do this.”