SNC Hosts Specialist High Skills Major Agriculture Program Participants
South Nation Conservation (SNC) partnered with the Dundas Federation of Agriculture, North Dundas District High School and Tagwi Secondary School for an Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship ICE Training Project. ICE Project is a component of the Specialist High Skills Major Agriculture Program.
SNC hosted program participants on May 18th for a day of problem solving and solution generation in regards to real world, sector related issues. The challenge for the 2016 group was “How to increase the adoption of best management practices in the South Nation watershed?”
“We are so pleased to be part of a partnership that offers students and future farmers an opportunity to learn the importance of using best management practices on farms” explained Katherine Watson, SNC Water Resources Specialist.
As part of the visit, students learned about SNC programs and services, best management practices and watershed conditions, and then visited Marc Lafleche’s Farm, Councillor for The Nation Municipality, to learn about controlled tile drainage. They were also joined by Mark Sunohara, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for information on research currently conducted on Mr. Lafleche’s farm.
Controlled tile drainage is a management practice that provides growers with the ability to better control the timing and amount of water drained from a field.
“This program provides students with an opportunity to work through watershed scale issues by developing problem solving skills needed to address those issues to improve the local environment,” mentioned Watson.
Through the SNC Community Environmental Grants Program, The Dundas Federation of Agriculture received a grant to help the school offset hospitality and busing costs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Katherine Watson, 1-877-984-2948, ext. 291 kwatson@nation.on.ca