Pollution Prevention Success Stories

TIMBER RIVER ECO FARMS

Timber River Eco Farms (TREF) is a family operated business located on the Northumberland Strait. The farm works about 283 hectares of land growing potatoes, grain and forage crops and keeps between 60 and 90 head of beef cattle.

The farm’s manager, Pirmin Kummer, emigrated to Canada from Germany nine years ago. Kummer’s education and training in Europe instilled a deep appreciation for land stewardship using ecological agricultural practices. He is passionate about his product, “Eco Spuds,” a term he coined to distinguish his potatoes from competitors in the marketplace. Kummer takes an active role in marketing his Eco-Spuds, using packaging as a direct-to-consumer method of informing consumers about his agricultural practices and the certification bestowed by World Wildlife Fund Canada as an environmentally-friendly farmer. He also maintains a website on the internet, providing production updates, as well as advice on cooking potatoes for optimum taste and quality.

Kummer’s potatoes are priced the same as, or slightly higher than some other varieties because of smaller volume harvests and costs arising from ecological production techniques. As consumers become more educated about protecting the environment and human health concerns, they seem to be willing to pay a small premium for food safety assurance.

Like all farms, Timber River Eco Farms is vulnerable to the vagaries of weather and markets. Each year brings different challenges and Pirmin Kummer understands the necessity of adapting and adjusting to changing circumstances. This involves choosing varieties of potatoes which are most compatible with local soils and growing conditions.

Eco-Spuds are the product of a multi-year farm management program which emphasizes soil protection and enhancement for long-term productivity. Crop rotation, integrated pest management techniques and the use of buffer zones reduce soil erosion, minimize problems associated with insects and disease which are prevalent on farms using conventional methods and help protect local watercourses. The farm’s relative isolation from other potato farms also provides a measure of protection from insect and fungal spore migrations, problems which occur regularly in places like Prince Edward Island where large farms are maintained in close proximity to one another.

Kummer plants whole, sprouted and untreated potatoes in a 3-4 year crop rotation schedule. Soil enrichment is achieved by planting rye grass, grains and a clover mixture; each year a portion of the crop is baled for cattle feed and the remainder is mulched and plowed under. Timber River potato varieties require approximately 50-70 % less nitrogen than other commonly grown varieties, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers.

Herbicides are not used for weed control; instead, weeds are controlled by timed planting (moisture is a key parameter), field cultivation practices (e.g.,“hilling”) and mechanical means. Insects are controlled by reduced or no use of chemicals. He also uses a “beetle vacuum” which sucks insects from the plants and trap-lines ditches. Kummer finds that crop rotation is quite successful at keeping colorado beetle populations at a low level. Blight is controlled through a variety of cultivation practices, such as rotation, whole seed planting, proper cullage management, hilling, use of varieties with some resistance, with reduced use of fungicides when needed. When spraying is necessary, he uses a highly efficient, state-of-the art sprayer called a “Spray Guard Plus” which significantly reduces the volume of spray required and minimizes the extent of harmful spray “drift.” The type and amount of chemicals used are approved and routinely monitored by a World Wildlife Fund Canada protocol.

About three weeks prior to harvesting, Kummer uses a machine to chop the tops off the plants. Once harvested, potatoes are left in the sun to cure for a couple of hours so they are less susceptible to fungal infestation during storage. The Eco-Spuds are collected and stored in a clean, dry, well-ventilated and temperature-controlled warehouse. No fungicides are used in storage.

The World Wildlife Fund Canada conducts an annual audit of the facility, and to date Timber River Eco-Farms has met or exceeded many of the protocol requirements.

Environmental Benefits

• Timber River Eco Farms uses ecologically-friendly practices monitored by WWF Canada to grow No. 1 potatoes for commercial markets (e.g., crop rotation, mulching, whole seed potato planting, integrated pest management, mechanical weeding and temperature-controlled storage). Eco-Spuds are natural varieties chosen for their suitability to regional climate and soils; no genetic modification is involved; they are cultivated without chemical seed treatments, herbicides, defoliants, chemical treatments in storage or chemical sprout inhibitors.
• Most Timber River potato varieties require approximately 50% less nitrogen than other commonly grown varieties, reducing the amount of nitrates which end up in the soil as residue.
• Timber River uses a highly efficient spraying machine, “Spray Air Guard Plus”, a innovative technology for sustainable agriculture. By choosing this equipment, coverage and retention is improved and drifting spray is minimized.
• By using potato culls as cattle feed, the farm minimizes waste and lessens the risk of incurring and spreading plant diseases. Cattle manure is used to add nutrients to the soil for enhanced crop production.

Economic Benefits

• The overall costs of Eco-Spud production are similar to those borne by farmers using conventional, chemically-dependent practices. However, differences between farm ledger sheets will show input variations on an itemized basis. For example, because Kummer uses untreated, whole seed potatoes (as opposed to cut and quartered seed), the cost of planting is higher at Timber River Eco Farms. However, because Pirmin Kummer observes an ecological farming regime, his costs of fertilizing are lower (he saves about $30/acre with reduced nitrogen applications) and certain pest control costs are lower (he saves an estimated $150/acre with reduced spraying). However, Kummer’s costs associated with using additional machinery for mechanical weeding and beetle control, in addition to the increased time and labour required for using ecological farm management practices may be higher than others on the input side.
• Eco-Spuds are marketed through a major Atlantic grocery chain, “Sobey’s.” They compete against other brands which often sell at lower prices based on volume production or reduced prices paid to farmers. People choosing to purchase Eco-Spuds do so because they recognize the long-term environmental and health benefits associated with supporting ecologically-friendly production practice.

Social Benefits

• The experience of Timber River Eco Far demonstrates that caring for the environment and commercially-viable food production are not mutually exclusive undertakings.
• Pirmin Kummer works with organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund Canada to develop regionally-based industry protocols; he works with students and researchers at nearby agricultural training institutions; he helps to educate consumers by providing useful information on product packaging and maintains a website on the internet.
• Timber River Eco Farms is a good neighbour: the business provides part-time employment for local workers at peak periods of farming activity; it shares experience, equipment and knowledge with other farmers and is a helping to create a green community. In Year 2000, Kummer’s farm was named “Farm of the Year” by the Chignecto Soil and Crop Association.

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