FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Farmers located in Rose Prairie are hosting an information session on multi-species cover cropping.
Les and Hannah Willms, who run LH Willms Inc., are inviting farmers to their property to hear from guest speakers Jennifer Critcher and Nadia Mori, tour their farm to see their cover crops and learn about their cover cropping program.
The event is organized by the BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund via the Invest Agriculture Foundation and funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
According to the BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund, cover cropping is a sustainable agricultural practice involving planting crops to improve soil health, increase climate adaptability and promote climate mitigation.
Benefits cover cropping provides include soil erosion protection, weed suppression, reduction in soil compacting, increase in soil organic matter, soil structure improvement, increase in soil water retention and enhancement of nutrient cycling.
The BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund says cover crops can also provide a habitat for beneficial insects, including pollinators and pest predators.
Guest speaker Critcher has been a director with BC Grain Producers Association since 2018 and vice president since 2021, working on a 4,000-acre farm in Tower Lake. She is an agronomist who specializes in industrial and agricultural vegetation management.
Mori, the second guest speaker, is the Peace Region Living Labs Extension coordinator and the Peace River Forage Association of BC coordinator with a Master of Science at the University of Saskatchewan.
The Willms’ farm has been in the family since 1968, and Les took over the operation in 2002, farming 3,000 acres in Rose Prairie.
The information session will be held on Wednesday, August 23rd, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the Willms’ farm at 6384 262 Road in Rose Prairie.
Free tickets can be reserved, and more information on the event can be found on Eventbrite’s website.
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