Farmers Test a New Conservation Concept in Norfolk County

Simcoe, ON -- The Norfolk Federation of Agriculture (NFA) is proposing a pilot project for Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS), a conservation concept that could improve  the environment and encourage economic stability in the agricultural sector in the county. 

“The ALUS proposal is designed to conserve environmentally sensitive areas by recognizing and rewarding farmers who deliver environmental benefits, such as cleaner water and air, abundant wildlife and an attractive rural environment for all to enjoy” said NFA spokesman Vic Janulis.  Today, the NFA released a 69- page proposal detailing a 9- year, $7.6 million study of the concept in Norfolk County. 

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“We call ALUS ‘the farmer’s conservation plan’ because it is designed by producers, and will be delivered through agricultural- based organizations and institutions across Canada,” says Janulis.  “ALUS is a win – win concept for agriculture and conservation interests, because it benefits both producers and the public, the idea is spreading like a grassfire across the country, with pilot project planning also underway in PEI, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.”   

The ALUS proposal is timely because current economic pressures, such as the recent sharp downturn in the traditional tobacco industry in Norfolk County, the closing of global markets to Canadian cattle, low commodity prices and rising costs of fuel, fertilizer and other inputs, are reducing farm income, and intensifying agricultural land use at the expense of the environment.  The ALUS concept offers an environmentally- friendly alternative to expanding agricultural production to offset rising costs and declining markets, by creating new markets for environmental benefits that farmers can produce on a “fee for service” basis on their land. 

“Testing the feasibility of this concept is critical to the future of agriculture and rural development in Norfolk County and across the country,” says Janulis, “Itis also the only really workable solution for achieving conservation goals on private farmland.”

Four environmental service categories have been selected for study: wetland restoration; riparian zone enhancements to improve waterways; upland services including the planting of more grasses and tree cover; and wildlife services to enhance wildlife habitat and conserve species at risk in the county. 

NFA Vice President Bauke Vogelszang says that new environmental regulations such as the Ontario Nutrient Act, the federal Species at Risk Act and many others are placing the burden of conserving public resources like wildlife squarely on the back of private landowners.

 “All stick and no carrot is not good news for farmers or an economically sustainable solution for the environment,” says Vogelszang. “We must broaden the base of conservation tools by including meaningful incentives for conservation on farmlands.”  

ALUS fits hand in glove with the environment pillar of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) developed by the federal government and provinces.  ALUS also complements the development of Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) in Ontario, and across Canada, by adding annual incentives for landscape conservation.” 

“Payment for environmental services is the cornerstone of the ALUS concept,” says Dr. Robert O. Bailey, policy VP with Delta Waterfowl and co-author of the Norfolk pilot proposal. “The beneficiaries of clean water, air, safe food, fish, wildlife, pastoral rural environments and natural resources should share in the cost of producing these public resources on private farmland.  Governments cannot regulate their way to a healthy environment.”

Dr. Bailey says, “To provide the level of environmental benefits that Canadians expect, we must also have a tool to save existing ecological features and convert more farmland back into natural areas.  It will cost money to build a sustainable rural landscape and that should come from the many beneficiaries of natural areas and resources.”