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DAVID EATON IS PASSIONATE ABOUT
environmental farm planning. He was
one of the earlier adopters of the Alberta
Environmental Farm Plan (EFP), and has
maintained his passion and awareness of
environmental issues on his farm since
completing his plan in 2007.
“I initially did an EFP to be able to
access funding, but once I went through
the process, it became apparent that I
had made a few mistakes at home,” said
Eaton. “It was a real good reminder that
sometimes we should just stop and remove
ourselves from the picture to take a look at
what we are doing.”
Like many producers who go through
the process, Eaton became more aware of
the environmentally sensitive areas on his
farm, and was able to make some rela-
tively minor changes to reduce risks. He
moved a fertilizer bin, capped a well and
made changes to the way he fed cattle in
the winter to prevent issues with manure
run-o into waterways, and to preserve
the nutrients for crops in the spring.
“The biggest result you are going to get
from doing an EFP is to change the way
you think,” he said. “If I think of the water
and land as resources that I am responsi-
ble for, this helps me understand what I
can do to manage it better.”
The 52-year-old farms grain and cattle
near Oyen, and is chair of the Agricul-
tural Research and Extension Council of
Alberta (ARECA), a provincial association
of non-profit producer groups that provide
regional extension services to producers.
In June 2013, ARECA took over delivery
of the EFP program from Alberta Agricul-
ture and Rural Development.
“Having ARECA take on delivery of the
program really gave it back to industry to
drive and take some more ownership of
where it can go and what it needs to do,”
said Fiona Briody, EFP program manager
for ARECA. “The EFP has been indus-
try-driven in Alberta from the start.”
Briody has been with the program
since its inception in 2003. Initially, the
program was delivered by the Alberta
Environmental Farm Plan Company, a
non-profit company created and contract-
ed to deliver EFPs under the first Agri-
cultural Policy Framework (APF). When
the company folded at the end of the APF
agreement, the provincial government
stepped in to ensure the program could
carry on.
Today, the program is delivered by ARE-
CA through its 13 partner organizations,
with a network of 40 EFP technicians
available to help producers through the
process. EFP technicians help producers
start the process by working through the
EFP workbook, either on hard copy or
electronically. Once the workbook is com-
plete, the technician reviews the plan and
issues a statement of completion.
“Producers are environmentalists—
they are a part of the system, and if they
treat the land right, the land treats them
right,” said Lacey Ryan, an EFP techni-
cian with the Chinook Applied Research
Association.
The biggest reservation that Ryan hears
from producers is about privacy—they are
afraid that the government is collecting
information about their farm.
“As an EFP technician, I am the only
person who sees their book or web book,”
said Ryan, noting that the EFP process is
free, voluntary and confidential. “It’s for
producers to improve both profitability
and environmental stewardship on their
land, and knowing what’s on their farm.”
For Eaton, the EFP is more than a way
to inform his own farm practices—it’s a
gift to the next generation.
“We need the ability to communicate
with the next generation about the choices
that we have made,” he said. “Your EFP
is something that you can turn over to
the next generation and say, ‘This is what
I have done and why I have done it. Be
aware of these issues.’”
Environmental FarmPlanning
Spring
2014
grainswest.com
47
AGIFT TOTHENEXT GENERATION
BY TAMARA LEIGH
FARMING
FOR TOMORROW
Photo: David Feil
MAN WITH A PLAN:
Like many Alberta producers, David Eaton has an Environmental
Farm Plan for his operation. With a full-fledged plan, proponents say it will create more
e cient farming methods with net benefits for the environment.