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Best Management Practices Series
What is a "best management practice?"
Who decides what qualifies as a best management practice?
The Best Management Practices Series is...An award-winning series of innovative publications:
The
titles are:
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Online at ServiceOntario Publications
By phone through the ServiceOntario Contact Centre
Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
416-326-5300
416-325-3408 (TTY)
1-800-668-9938 Toll-free across Canada
1-800-268-7095 TTY Toll-free across Ontario
In person at ServiceOntario Centres located throughout the province
Farmers who manage their woodlands have long realized the benefits:
reliable returns, products for on-farm use, and resource and habitat
protection. This 40-page book will help you choose suitable best management
practices - both traditional and new - from the following:
producing quality timber, firewood, posts and poles.
If you're considering changes to the way you grow grains, oilseeds or forages, then Field Crop Production is for you. Effective change takes careful planning and know-how - one change may require several adjustments to your cropping system.
Doing
it right requires an understanding of the basics, so this 133-page
book starts off with a review of management principles for soils,
water, nutrients, crop residues and pests.
The next three sections focus on management options for tillage systems: conventional, mulch, and no-till/ridge.
Non-tillage options are also explored: conservation practices and erosion control structures for cropland, streams and ditches. A case study concludes the comprehensive book.
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If
you're experiencing problems with soil erosion, surface water
runoff, compaction or loss of organic matter, it's time to
try some different approaches to managing your soils.By reducing tillage, adding organic matter either through crops or other sources, and maintaining good soil structure (tilth), you can maintain proper conditions for high yields, good returns, and minimal environmental impact.
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Water
is precious. But too often, we take it for granted.
Protecting your water supplies will safeguard your family's
health, the well-being of your farm operation and downstream
users.
Water Management explains the water cycle. It follows the pathways of water as it moves into and around major features of your property the house, farm buildings, fields and natural areas. Potential sources of contamination for ground and surface water are uncovered.
Crops
such as fruits, vegetables, tobacco, sod and nursery stock
must be of top quality to win acceptance in the marketplace.
Water plays a key role in determining quality. Properly
done, irrigation provides crops with the right amount
of water, when crops need it, at the lowest cost and with
the least impact on the environment.
This detailed 116-page book helps you assess whether irrigation is appropriate for your operations. It describes scheduling techniques, i.e., how to determine when and how much to irrigate. Systems - sprinkler, trickle and sub-irrigation - are also described and compared in detail. Tips for irrigating a range of horticultural crops, sod and tobacco are provided in handy charts. The book also explains environmental concerns to bear in mind when considering irrigation.
IPM is an increasingly popular way to control disease and insects. Applying a mix of cultural, biological and chemical control methods, growers can save money on inputs and use fewer pesticide applications.
This primer begins with the IPM basics: pest monitoring, pest identification and pest thresholds. Control options are then presented, including:
Case studies for crops found across Canada conclude the 37-page book.
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If you have rural property, and you're interested in providing habitat for fish and wildlife, this book can get you started. There are many long-term benefits of managing habitats on your property environmental and economic not to mention the sheer pleasure that seeing wildlife can invoke.
This
91-page book explains how to restore or improve habitats in ways
that are compatible with farming, good for soil and water, often
profitable and always practical. It also provides tips on ways
to help you prevent wildlife from becoming a problem, and practical
advice on what to do when wildlife becomes a nuisance.
Practices for each habitat type are presented, ranging from simply
maintaining existing habitats to planting buffers to improving
in-water habitat.
You choose which ones suit your property, your time, and your
goals.
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Beginning
with a review of no-till basics, the book will provide a step-by-step
account of managing no-till system components, such as soil,
manure and other nutrients, residues, pests and hardware.
Plenty of troubleshooting tips are included throughout.
The 91-page book uses case studies to help you understand potential problems and how to overcome them to make no-till work for you.
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If your drinking water comes from a well, you should have this manual handy. While most wells may adequately supply ground water to homes and farm buildings, some wells - old and new - may act as pathways for contamination.
The 89-page book begins with the water cycle, the time and pathway for ground water contamination, and the effects on human and livestock health.
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Read on to learn how to implement best management practices for the construction, maintenance, monitoring and abandonment of the three major well types:
It then provides many practical tips and trouble shooting tactics to help you assess and improve soil quality in the short and long term. |
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This handbook will help you put together the pieces to develop an effective plan.
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