Paquette Farms deemed Number 1 in conservation

Paquette Farms of Malden Ltd. is the winner of the 2019 Conservation Farm Award.

The award was announced at the Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association annual meeting last week.

The winning farm is chosen as the best example of conservation-minded farming practices, which includes being graded on best management and tillage practices, crop rotation and chemical use and storage.

Robert Paquette farms with sons Richard, Gerald and Bradley in the Amherstburg area.

Some of the highlights of what helped the Paquettes win include the use of red clover for a cover crop, minimum till and no-till crops, precision soil sampling, variable rate fertilizer application, and water and sediment control structures such as rock chutes and buffer strips to reduce soil erosion.

The Paquettes have also planted thousands of white cedar trees as windbreaks on many of their farms in the Amherstburg area.

They have participated in the Canada-ontario Environmental Farm Plan program, and the Essex Region Conservation Authority’s Clean Water — Green spaces program.

The Conservation Farm Award is sponsored annually by the Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association, and the Essex Region Conservation Authority.

Nominations for the 2020 Conservation Farm Award are being accepted until Aug. 28. For more information on how to nominate an individual, contact Michael Dick at 776-5209, ext. 369.