Blowing soil concerning, 'disappointing' for P.E.I. farmers

The blowing soil in parts of P.E.I. is another sign of the difficulty farmers face this season says the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture. The early onset of winter slowed some soil erosion-prevention measures.

'The more we can do to keep that soil in the field the better'

CBC News Posted: Feb 11, 2019 6:02 PM EST | Last Updated: February 11, 2019

The lack of snow cover is one of the factors that is contributing to the amount of soil being blown from fields in P.E.I. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Recent high winds and lack of snow mean precioustopsoil is blowing off P.E.I. farm fields.

The results are another sign of the difficulty farmers faced this season, says theP.E.I. Federation of Agriculture.

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"I think when they see that on their own field they are probablyverydisappointed.That is a resource that they are paying top dollar for," said executive director Robert Godfrey.

'Killing frost'

Late-autumn rains ledto a late potato harvest thencold, snowy weather arrived early, making made it tough for farmers to plantcover crops that protect fields and restore soil nutrients.

The early winter meant farmers may not have had enough time to plant a cover crop to protect their fields during winter. (Laura Meader/CBC)

Some fields were planted in cover crops that didn't survive.

"There were cover crops planted that either were killed early in September with that killing frost we had September 24," said P.E.I. Potato Board general manager Greg Donald.

"There's other cases they were seededand didn't germinate."

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'The last thing you want to see'

Donald said the blowing soilcan be disappointingforfarmers to watch.

'With the climate change that we keep experiencing here, the more we can do to keep that soil in the field the better,' says Robert Godfrey with the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"They are investing a lot of energy and resources to building their soil and improving their soil, and the last thing you want to see is some of it being blown away," Donald said.

The lack of snow also means there's no protective layer over the soil.

A dirt buildup had to be cleared recently from Route 112, the SearletownRoadinBedeque by road crewsThe Department of Transportation said in a email to CBC that it was not normalforso much topsoilto blowonto the road from nearby fields.

Researching better ways

The extreme weather is making it harder for farmers to avoid problems like these, said Godfrey.

'The last thing you want to see is some of it being blown away,' says Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board. (Laura Meader/CBC)

It looks like a desert scene, but it's a field in the Bedeque area of P.E.I. in Monday's high winds. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"With the climate changethat we keep experiencing here,the more we can do to keep that soil in the field the better," Godfrey said.

The Federation of Agriculture says it isdoing extensive research into soil protection and hopes to increase educational supports for farmers in the future.

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With files from Laura Meader

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