Open Sky Co-operative

2 acres12 Folkins Dr, Sackville, NB,E4L 1H9Sarah Poirier, Farm Coordinator

Being a good steward of the land and soil, and leaving it in better shape than when I found it.

Products

  • Eggs
  • Honey
  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Plums
  • Wild cranberries
  • Gooseberries
  • Currants (red and black)
  • Fresh vegetables in season
  • Pickles
  • Preserves
  • Wildflowers
  • Jalapeno salts
  • Hot chocolate mixes
  • Dried Herbs
  • Grapes

Regenerative Practices

  • Minimize soil disturbance
    • No-till (direct seeding, zero-tillage) 
      The soil is not worked at any point throughout the season. residue from the previous crop is left on the soil surface, and its root system is left intact. the following crop is seeded directly into the soil without tillage.
    • 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
    • Intercropping 
      Simultaneously growing two or more crops adjacent to one another, on the same piece of land and within the same growing season. crops are paired based on their differing, yet complementary, space and resource requirements.
  • Protect and enhance biodiversity
    • Companion cropping 
      Simultaneously growing two or more crops together in the same field so they complement one another by improving nutrient cycling, suppressing pests and weeds, and enhancing biodiversity.
    • Diverse crop rotations 
      Planting crops with different characteristics in sequence on the same field over time
    • 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.
  • 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.
  • Preserve and restore natural ecosystems
    • Maintain living roots year-round (agroforestry and perennials)
      • Tree crops 
        Tree crops
      • 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.
      • 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.
      • Water conservation 
        The optimized use of water for crops and trees, or strict water use during critical periods of crop stages.
      • Wetland restoration 
        Reestablishing the natural hydrology, vegetation, and ecological function of a wetland area that has been drained, degraded, or altered.

    Observations

    • Significant retention of topsoil compared to neighbouring farms
    • Vigorous and varied return of wild grasses and flowers
    • Significant improvement in numbers of invertebrates (above- and below-ground)
    • Varied species of birds in great numbers all over the farm
    • Significant decrease is mosquitoes due to the return of the birds and other critters .

    How to buy

    • At our Farm Gate; Saturday mornings at the Sackville Farmer's Market (May-Oct)
    Contact
    openskyco-op.ca/homepagefarmer@openskyco-op.ca(506) 536-4565
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