An innovative approach to improving soil quality by two Peterborough County farmers has not gone unnoticed in the farming community.
Hello Farm, which has a market garden location north of Havelock, is this year’s recipient of the Peterborough Agricultural Innovation Award.
Created by the Peterborough Agricultural Roundtable and co-sponsored by Sunderland Co-op, the award recognizes Ava Richardson and Kiyotami (Zenryu) Owatari of Hello Farm for their “visionary approach to improving soil fertility” using Japanese farming techniques.
This is the second year of the Peterborough Agricultural Innovation Awards, which are designed to showcase and acknowledge innovation in farming.
“Farmers are innovating all the time,” Pat Learmonth, a member of the Peterborough Agricultural Roundtable, told kawarthaNOW.
“They are always looking for ways to do things more efficiently — saving time or saving money by reducing input costs or improving soil health which improves yields and resilience in unpredictable weather.”
Those efforts should be highlighted and appreciated, Learmonth said.
“We felt it was important to recognize innovation in agriculture because it results in the sharing of ideas more widely, so more farmers can consider adopting new ideas. Ingenuity should be rewarded, as new ideas are always needed to move agriculture forward.”
It also means that people who have farmed for a lifetime might be recognized alongside a farmer who is new to farming — or in the case of this year’s winner, an experienced farmer who is a new Canadian.
Richardson and Owatari received the award on Thursday (February 15) at Sunderland Co-op at 2182 Keene Road, where they were presented with $500 and a plaque.
Richardson farmed in the region before moving to Japan, where she met Owatari, and farmed there for eight years before the married couple moved to Peterborough County in July 2021. Now, as a new Canadian, Owatari is bringing techniques used in Japan to the pair’s market garden.
After leasing 1.5 acres of land in Havelock that had lain fallow for over 25 years, Richardson and Owatari faced challenges preparing the soil — which was very rocky with pockets or gravel, sand, and heavy clay — for growing their organic heirloom vegetables.
To prepare the land and improve soil fertility, moisture retention, and tilth, the pair has been applying biochar and bran to their soils. Biochar is charcoal produced from plant matter and stored in the soil to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Owatari brought to Canada a biochar chimney from Japan, where he used rice husk to create biochar. In Canada, he has successfully substituted spelt husk for rice husk. In addition to biochar, he adds raw, bacteria-rich wheat bran to the soil in place of rice bran.
By its second year of production, Hello Farm had witnessed growth in its overall crop yields as a result of the increase in soil fertility and presence of beneficial bacteria.
The full text of Hello Farm’s award nomination can be found on the Peterborough Agricultural Roundtable website at ptboagnews.com.
“Congratulations to Ava and Zenryu for your visionary approach to improving soil fertility on your farm, and for winning the prestigious innovation award,” said Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark in a media release. “Your dedication to pushing the boundaries of agricultural excellence is deserving of recognition and celebration. Thank you for choosing to contribute and lead in the agricultural community of Peterborough County.”
The Peterborough Agricultural Roundtable is supported by a range of local agricultural organizations. The group envisions all farmers working together to create a vibrant future for farming in Peterborough county, city and in Hiawatha First Nation and Curve Lake First Nation. Membership is open to any farmer or owner of farmland.
The Peterborough Agricultural Roundtable runs the annual Peterborough Farm Showcase Tour for local decision-makers and publishes the Peterborough Ag News e-newsletter, which covers topics of importance to the local farm community. To learn more about the Peterborough Agricultural Roundtable and agriculture in Peterborough, visit ptboagnews.com.
For more information about Hello Farm, visit hellofarm.ca.
