East Prince Agri-Environment Association

#FridayFeature! 📸 Over the past few weeks, we’ve been checking on our 30 tree swallow nesting boxes with grade 11 co-op student Avrie Smith from Kinkora Regional High School. Together, we’ve been looking for signs of swallows that called these boxes home this summer! 🙌🔍 Along the way, we found some surprise visitors—mice, hornets, and other bird species! It’s incredible to see how much biodiversity these little boxes can support. 🐝🐭 #DYK Our boxes were built by the talented team at the Kensington North Watersheds Association, and they’ve been proudly marked with the EPAA logo. You can spot them along local trails and at the edges of farmers’ fields in the East Prince area! Have you seen one? 🐦 If you are interested in installing a tree swallow nesting box, contact your local watershed group for more information! Stay tuned for next week’s feature! 🌱 #PEIAg

🤔 Did you know rotational grazing can boost soil health and reduce input costs? In this third Living Lab – PEI video featuring Nick Green of Kingston View Farms and Ryan Barrett from the PEI Potato Board, we’re highlighting Beneficial Management Practice 2: Rotational Grazing! 🌾🐮 Due to rising production costs, cattle producers and potato farmers joined forces to explore rotational grazing of cover crops. Some of the major benefits? Beef farmers are able to lower inputs by utilizing grazing on cover crops, opening up land use opportunities while potato farmers reduce input costs associated with mulching and have the added benefit of manure for their fields. This mutual exchange is boosting soil quality, improving yields, and fostering sustainable practices across PEI. 🙌 This activity is jointly led by the PEI Potato Board and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada. #PEIAg #AgLivingLab 🎥🎬 Wrong Horse Productions YouTube 🔗: https://lnkd.in/eaA2jU87 

#FridayFeature! 📸 What a great day at the PEI Future Farming Conference! 🚜✨ It’s inspiring to see the energy and passion of young farmers shaping the future of agriculture. Events like this remind us that collaboration and innovation go hand-in-hand when addressing the challenges ahead. Key moments included: 💬 Conversations on mental health, funding programs, and succession planning. 🤝 Engaging panels highlighting opportunities in #PEIAg. 🎙 A live podcast with Tracy Brunet for The Impact Farming Show. Our group knows that farmer-led initiatives drive progress. That’s why many of our farmers proudly trace their roots to PEI Young Farmers, working together to strengthen agriculture for the next generation. Hats off to the Prince Edward Island Government for hosting such a meaningful event for our future leaders! Stay tuned for next week’s feature! 🌱 #futureoffarming

🤔 Did you know that optimizing nitrogen can make a real difference in crop growth and soil health? In this second Living Lab – PEI video, featuring Steve Reeves from Reeves Farms, Dr. Judith Nyiraneza from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Kurtis Rooke of the PEI Department of Agriculture, we’re spotlighting Beneficial Management Practice 6: Refining Nitrogen Management! 🙌🐮 This project investigates how adopting dribble bars—an innovative tool that spreads liquid manure in precise lines—helps retain nutrients, reduces odours, and covers more acreage with less horsepower. 🐄🚜 This initiative is jointly led by the PEI Department of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada. #PEIAg #AgLivingLab 🎥🎬 Wrong Horse Productions Youtube 🔗: https://lnkd.in/excq46j6

#FridayFeature! 📸 This week, we hosted a Living Lab – PEI Mixer at The Old Triangle in Charlottetown. It was a fantastic opportunity for our project partners to share insights and learn more about LL-PEI projects. 🙌 #DYK The event featured six interactive stations where participants explored topics like rotational grazing, interseeding, nitrogen management, and more! With 27+ project partners and 30+ producers across PEI, we’re proud of the collaboration driving Living Lab – PEI’s success! 🗺️ A big thank you to our presenters and AAFC staff for their support in making this event a success. 👏 Stay tuned for next week’s feature! 🌱 #PEIAg #AgLivingLab Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada LP Consulting Ltd

🤔 Did you know seaweed can help reduce methane emissions in cattle by up to 15%? In this first Living Lab – PEI video featuring Joe Dorgan of North Atlantic Organics, John Duynisveld and Catherine Pal from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Nappan Research Farm, we’re highlighting Beneficial Management Practice 1: Livestock Feeding Strategies! 🌱🐮 This project explores how PEI seaweed, like Irish Moss, Furcellaria, Rockweed, and Kelp, can lower methane emissions when included in cattle diets.🐄💨 This initiative is supported by North Atlantic Organics Ltd, the PEI Climate Challenge Fund, the PEI Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, Dalhousie University the Maritime Beef Council, and the Maritime Beef Testing Society. #PEIAg #AgLivingLab 🎥🎬 Wrong Horse Productions Youtube 🔗: https://lnkd.in/e4zxYNAR

#FridayFeature! 📸 Happy National STEM Day! Today, we’re celebrating the power of science and technology in agriculture! 👏 Meet Dr. Tandra Fraser, a Soil Microbial Ecologist at AAFC Charlottetown. Her work with #AgLivingLab #PEI explores innovative solutions—like biochar, organic amendments, and manure applications—that boost soil health and advance sustainable farming. 👩🔬🔬 From the lab to the field, Dr. Fraser is showing how STEM shapes a sustainable future. 💪 Stay tuned for next week’s feature! 🌱 #PEIAg #STEMDay Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada

#FridayFeature! 📸 As potato harvest season wraps up, we would like to thank not only the farmers for another successful crop but also our Island communities for being supportive during this busy time of year. 👏 #DYK The PEI Potato Board has 40+ delicious potato recipes on their website! 🥔 Check out their page for inspiration to cook with those freshly harvested #PEIPotatoes at https://lnkd.in/edrnZCvG Stay tuned for next week’s feature! 🌱 #PEIAg #Harvest24

Welcome back to our Living Lab – PEI #ParticipantProfile Series! 👏👀 Next up, we have Judith Nyiraneza, one of the Living Lab – PEI Science Leads at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada in Charlottetown!🔬 1. Introduce yourself My name is Judith Nyiraneza and I am one of the Living Lab – PEI Science Leads at AAFC. I have been with AAFC since 2009, first as a postdoctoral fellow at AAFC in Québec City, then as a scientist at AAFC in Charlottetown since 2012. My research activities aim to assess management practices that enhance soil health and nutrient use efficiencies. I am participating in different soil regenerative management practices including: i) the use of biochar with and without manure; ii) integrating livestock in potato-based systems (rotational grazing); iii) comparing different methods of liquid manure applications; iv) and maximizing ground cover/reduced tillage intensity. 2. What do you like most about being part of a living lab? What I like most about living labs is being able to interact with different people with different backgrounds and I feel that I learned a lot over the duration of the project. I also like the holistic approach used to fully understand the effects of management practices on many aspects of agricultural sustainability (soil and crop health, water and air quality, and socio-economic impacts). Stay tuned as we gear up to bring you more inspiring stories from Living Lab – PEI this spring! 🌱✨ #AgLivingLab #PEIAg

#FridayFeature! 📸 This week, Emily Belliveau, our Knowledge Exchange Specialist, along with representatives from the PEI Federation of Agriculture attended the 2024 Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) Public Trust Summit! 🎉 The summit centered on fostering transparency, building public trust, and creating a stronger, more resilient food system. Emily is excited to bring back fresh insights and strategies to enhance our work in PEI. 👏 #DYK Canadians with a higher knowledge of how food pricing is determined have better impressions of agrifood. Stay tuned for next week’s feature! 🌱 #PEIAg #PublicTrustSummit #TrustInAction #FoodIntegrity