Ravenwood Farm
100 acresBox 181, Groundbirch, British Columbia, V0C 1T0Bill Smith
For us regenerative agriculture means an ecologically responsible farm that is a joy to operate and is resilient in spite of the many challenges agriculture faces today. Inspired by recent extreme weather events & the impacts of climate change we are currently extending our water and soil management.
Products
- Black Currant Products
- Honey
- Eggs
- Beef boxes
- Raspberries
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.
- Minimum-till
- 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.
- Organic mulch Organic mulch involves covering the soil surface with a protective barrier to increase soil health, reduce soil erosion, and suppress weeds. the mulch can be composed of various organic materials such as straw, leaves, or compost.
- 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.
- Cover crops
- 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.
- 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.
- Companion cropping
- 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.
- 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.
- Alley cropping
- Improve water cycles
- Water conservation The optimized use of water for crops and trees, or strict water use during critical periods of crop stages.
- Water conservation
- 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.
- Compost tea A water-based compost that undergoes a fermentation process (with or without oxygen).
- 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.
- Biostimulants Any substance or microorganism applied to plants or soil to stimulate the plant’s ability to assimilate applied nutrients or provide benefits to plant development. biostimulants include amino acids, chitosan (biopolymers), seaweed extracts, and humic substances.
- 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.
- Compost
- Integrate animals on the lands and ensure their welfare
- Bale grazing Feeding livestock by placing hay bales directly on pasture during fall or winter, allowing animals to graze in place while naturally distributing manure and nutrients.
- 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)
- Bale grazing
Observations
- We recently planted more black currant bushes on contour with great results on water catchment.
- We are surrounded by Wildlife. We have a lot of bird species and wild honey bees.
- Our garden beds are moist even with dry weather and we have a lot of earth worms in them.
- Our black currant orchard is producing 3lb / bush. The berries are big and sweet. Really great crop result.
How to buy
- People can contact us via ravenwoodfarm.ca or social media. We also sell our products wholesale. We are collaboration with stores all over BC. They are listed on our website.
