Stinky situation
Unusual weather causes eco-friendly cover crop in a field to rot
Residents in North Miscouche have noticed a strange smell over the past few weeks wafting onto their properties. Lady Slipper Drive resident Troy Beck described the smell as pungent and something he had never experienced before.
Residents in North Miscouche have noticed a strange smell over the past few weeks wafting onto their properties.
Lady Slipper Drive resident Troy Beck described the smell as pungent and something he had never experienced before. “I originally thought something had died in my vehicle in the night because it was such a strange smell. But when I opened the windows I could still smell it in the wind,” Beck said.
“It’s very noticeable and almost has the strength of a skunk odour on a warm day, but it’s of a completely different scent.” Beck was not the only one to question the whereabouts of the smell.
“We were at a Christmas party last night and it was part of the conversation. Everyone was asking where the smell came from. Our only theory is the field adjacent to where I live. They must have planted something new and with the unusual weather maybe the farmers didn’t have a chance for land tillage,” Beck surmized. “I’m not upset with the farmers, they have the right to rejuvenate their soil in an ecofriendly way, I just want to know what is creating the smell and how long it will last,” he added. “You can’t smell it inside our home and it won’t spoil our Christmas.”
Mark MacEwen, the co-owner of Linkletter Farms, said until contacted by the Journal Pioneer he wasn’t aware of the smell, but has taken it into account and would go out and inspect all his fields.
“This is the third year of planting these tillage radishes and normally they would be frozen, but the snow is completely melted with this unusual (10-degree) weather so now they are rotten,” noted MacEwen, during last week’s warmer temperatures.
The tillage radish is a great eco-friendly cover crop used to protect the red soil in winter from wind and water erosion, as well as to capture nutrients that can be recycled the following year. Its leaves spread across the ground and help absorb carbon dioxide too.
“It saves on land tillage in spring since it’s comprised mostly of water, and desiccates and decays quickly,” added MacEwen.
“And as soon as it freezes the smell should go.”
He continued, “We don’t put any fertilizer on the cover crops that we grow, so (vegetables) are able to scavenge for nutrients in the soil when we plant in the fall. We don’t use any sprays or chemicals, in fact, a lot of what we plant helps reduce chemicals because they smother out the weeds.”
Cover crops planted by Linkletter Farms include tillage radish, winter wheat, fall rye, and mustard.
“We have grown kale, but it didn’t grow very well on our farm. Every year we try new environmentally-friendly cover crops.”