As organic agriculture continues to grow on PEI, experienced and knowledgeable support is needed more than ever. Thankfully Dan is here to get our red soil on his boots.
Dan and his family have recently made PEI their new home after a move from Ireland, where he worked as a National Organic Farming Specialist for many years. Over that time, he's seen organic agriculture and farming at large change and adapt to new market and environmental constraints, and now hopes to use that experience to help our local farmers thrive. Of course, no two soils are alike, but with new challenges come new opportunities. Island soils drain much easier and are much less stony than the Irish soils he worked with, which lends itself well to a large variety of crops.
"Organic and perennial land area is increasing year on year. This change is helping to create a more resilient Island agriculture economy and will overall help reduce the impact of farming on the environment."
Dan knows organic farmers are very innovative by nature, and with the help of government funding can help farmers experiment with new technologies and projects, including crop rotation design, composting, biochar, and no-till seed drills which reduce cultivation pressure. All of these initiatives help to improve soil health whilst at the same time achieving good yield and quality crops. It's a win-win situation for the farmer and the environment.
"I can't think of anything else that I'm more interested in than working with farmers and industry to help improve the impact of agriculture on the environment."
