Ferme Rustique

248 acres4553 4e Rang Ouest, Sainte-Croix, Québec, G0S 2H0Alexandre Landry et Élisabeth Grenier

This type of agriculture is in harmony with our values of animal welfare, respect for the environment, the enrichment of biodiversity and awareness of this logical way of farming.

Products

  • Producers of grass-fed beef
  • old-fashioned pigs
  • free-range chicken
  • eggs
  • small fruits
  • vegetables
  • forage crops.

Regenerative Practices

  • Minimize soil disturbance
    • Minimum-till 
      Minimum tillage is a soil cultivation practice that reduces the number, depth (0-10 cm), and intensity of tillage operations (no inversion of the soil) to minimize soil disturbance.
    • Permanent grassland 
      A parcel of land composed primarily of herbaceous grasses, including perennials and native plant species, which can be used for grazing, forage, or biomass production.
  • Keep the soil covered and maintain living roots year-round
    • Cover crops 
      Plants grown alongside, preceding, or following cash crops with the purpose of increasing soil fertility, reducing soil erosion, and suppressing weeds.
    • Plastic mulch 
      Non-living, non-organic sheets of polyethylene terephthalate (pet) plastic applied alongside, or following, cash crops to protect the soil.
  • Protect and enhance biodiversity
    • Pollinator buffers 
      Patches or rows of diverse flowering vegetation that provide pollinators with permanent habitats and food sources. they can be planted as intercrops or at the edge of fields.
    • Habitat conservation/creation/restoration 
      The conservation, creation, and restoration of ecosystems to improve habitat value for wildlife. forests, prairies, riparian areas, or wetlands can be restored along farmland.
  • Preserve and restore natural ecosystems
    • Maintain living roots year-round (agroforestry and perennials)
      • Alley cropping 
        The planting of crops between widely spaced rows of trees.
      • Perennial crops (grasslands) 
        Crops that regrow each year in a specific climate without needing to be reseeded.
      • Windbreaks 
        A single row or multiple rows of trees and shrubs to break the force of winds.
      • Riparian buffers 
        Mixed woody and non-woody species planted along the edges of bodies of water (streams, rivers, lakes, or ponds).
      • Native perennial vegetation conservation 
        The conservation of existing—or reintroduction of—native perennial vegetation, those that occur naturally in a region in which it evolved. it includes grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and coastal habitats.
    • Improve water cycles
      • Rainwater harvesting 
        The practice of collecting and storing rainwater from roofs, surfaces, or landscapes for later use in irrigation, livestock watering, or other on-farm needs.
    • Optimize input use
      • Compost 
        Organic matter that has been recycled through a composting process into a form that can be used as a soil amendment.\r\ncompost is the stable, nutrient-rich product of decomposed organic matter—such as plant residues, manure, or food scraps—that has been biologically processed under controlled aerobic conditions.
      • Manure 
        Manure (also known as livestock manure) is a type of soil amendment rich in nitrogen that integrates soil organic matter back into the soil and feeds the soil food web.
      • Minimal to no use of synthetic pesticides 
        Any product, device, organism, substance or thing that is manufactured, represented, sold or used as a means for directly or indirectly controlling, preventing, destroying, mitigating, attracting or repelling any pest (health canada, 2024).\r\nin canada, the most used pesticide active ingredient types are glyphosate, 2,4-d, glufosinate ammonium, and mcpa (all herbicides). then, there are also insecticides and fungicides such as chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, or chlorothalonil.
      • Minimal to no use of synthetic fertilizers 
        Fertilizers that are derived from synthetic sources. \r\nas plants extract nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur are the four most important nutrients) from the soil during every growing season, they must be replenished through fertilizers, manure, legume cover crops (through nitrogen fixing), and compost added to fields annually.
    • Integrate animals on the lands and ensure their welfare
      • Adaptive multi-paddock grazing 
        Adaptive multi-paddock (amp) grazing is a regenerative grazing system in which livestock are grazed in small paddocks and are moved frequently, resulting in short but intense grazing intervals. the system of multiple small paddocks means that cattle do not circle back to a pasture for a long period of time, allowing for long pasture recovery periods. the word “adaptive” in amp means adapting the duration of livestock on a pasture according to forage availability and the weather, all in the goal of avoiding overgrazing and overstocking.
      • Integrated crop and livestock 
        A farm system that combines or alternates between crops and livestock use. crops and livestock may be used in different areas at the same time, or during different times in the same area (i.e., integrated spatially or temporally)

    Observations

    • Increased organic matter in our soils
    • Better water retention and use by our soils
    • Birds that are rare in the region and are returning because of our practices
    • Biodiversity enhanced
    • More pollinators

    How to buy

    • Home delivery and farm store. Social media (Facebook and Instagram)
    Contact
    fermerustique.com fermerustique@hotmail.com4189300390
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