The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is pleased to feature the provincial stewardship award recipients in the running for the 2020 The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA). The recipient of the CCA’s national award will be announced through a virtual presentation during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in August. As always, a common theme among recipients is a profound sense of obligation to care for land and animals. Through sharing their stories, insights, beliefs and values, readers can gain perspective about the relationship between stewardship and cattle production, and the benefits of conservation to society. In this issue, we feature Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) 2020 Environmental Stewardship Award recipient, Charlton Angus Cattle Company, owned and operated by Paul De Jong.
Beef Farmers of Ontario 2020 Environmental Stewardship Award recipient, Charlton Angus Cattle Company
By: Janet Kanters
Years of understanding how the environment works and functions, and continually learning
how to improve things on the farm is key to the success of Charlton Angus Cattle Company in northern Ontario.
Owner Paul De Jong, recipient of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) from the Beef Farmers of Ontario, said maintaining and improving that environment takes the right attitude and commitment.
“Our farm goal is to enhance the environment in which it operates. The land that we own or manage is our most expensive asset. We want this land working for us and not against us. To do this we must learn how to get the maximum productivity and quality forage or crop from this land,” he said.
De Jong runs the 150-head, cow-calf Angus operation in the Temiskaming District of Ontario. The home farm is comprised of six quarter sections, 50 per cent tree covered, and consisting of rough pasture, tillable pasture and hay ground, flat in some areas and rolling in others. Water is abundant, with three streams running through the property from which parts become wetlands or floodplains in fall and spring.
To enhance the farm’s environment, De Jong is fencing off these wetlands and streams, and providing alternative water sources. In addition, he does regular soil testing “to balance soils, ensuring only the elements needed are applied to only the areas they are needed, by variable rate application and grid sampling. We also use alternative tillage to minimize ground disturbance to limit soil erosion and improve soil biology.”
Northern Ontario deals with long, cold winters, and spring can be quite wet due to the average of four feet of snow accumulated over the winter. Yet summers are hot and dry, so De Jong uses rotational grazing to prevent the ground from drying out and allowing root structures to access water.
De Jong said the soil is a living complex environment system that requires four management areas in order to get the most out of the soil: air, water, food and shelter.
“We have many soil microbes that provide nutrients to our crops. These microbes need air and water, food and shelter. If any of these go outside the range in which these microbes can function, they will die or go dormant until the condition improves,” he said. “In turn, our animals (beef) eat this crop. The better the crop, the better animal health and improved weight gain.”
De Jong said the general public is starting to learn that beef production has several benefits. “There are large areas of land that are only suited to growing forage crops which is the primary food source for beef, so beef production does not compete with growing food for people on those lands. Beef is a good source of nutrition for people. Furthermore, these large areas of grasslands sequester large amounts of carbon out the atmosphere and filter water,” he noted.
It’s evident that being a good environmental steward is important to De Jong. “As beef farmers we need to maintain a positive image to the public,” he said. “Our health and well-being are related to how well we look after the environment, and it is our job to leave the land in a better condition for the next generation.”
As De Jong continues environmental stewardship and regenerative agriculture practices on the farm, he said the time and effort to maintain the health of his farm’s environment gets easier. But he’s not done yet – his environmental goals for the future include more fencing along water courses, turning some of the scrub land into productive pasture, improving pasture health by incorporating more grass species and working towards better soil health. He is working towards monitoring soil fertility to maintain a good balance, improving soil organic matter, and working more closely with the farm’s holistic farm management plan and the Environmental Farm Plan to “create a true balance on the farm and in my personal life,” he said.
De Jong added he is intrigued and fascinated by how the environment works and how he can use that to his benefit. He continually shares and educates others about the importance and function of the environment by hosting farm tours and meetings, as well as competing in competitions like the TESA award and others.
“It is my job to look after the environment – the environment will feed the cows and in return the cows will provide a living for the farmer.”
*MNP is the Platinum Sponsor for TESA.
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