KYRA HAS BEEN ACTIVELY WORKING ON THE SOIL HEALTH TESTING PROGRAM SINCE 2015, AND WAS THE DRIVING FORCE IN STARTING THE TESTING HERE THROUGH THE PEIDAL.
Her clients were identifying cropping issues that weren’t explained through the typical nutrient analysis reports, which signaled a need for PEI producers to have a means to assess their land for problems that might be explained by other soil issues. In collaboration with the Cornell University Soil Health Lab in NY, Dalhousie University, and through coordinating a pilot project on Soil Health Assessment with the Kensington North Watershed Association, she laid the groundwork for the development of the PEI Soil Health Testing Package at PEI Analytical Laboratories that began in 2019.
Kyra also oversees the PEI Soil Quality Monitoring Project, which has been monitoring nutrient status and organic matter levels on fields all across PEI since 1998. She is also currently working on the PEI Manure Nutrient Analysis Project, which will help producers account for nutrients when applying manures to their land and help produce provincial nutrient content averages for livestock manures.
Kyra also advises for many funding programs within the Department, in particular the spring tillage of forages and winter cover crop programs under the Agriculture Stewardship Program, which directly impacts reducing soil loss and nutrients from fields during the winter and spring months.
"Soil management is the key to long-term farm and environmental sustainability. Our role is to help provide the support and information to producers to help them make the best soil management decisions available to them on their farm, and to keep our soil productive for future generations."
