Snowy Mountain Farm

25 acres1050 Chopaka Road, Cawston, BC, V0X1C3Aaron Godard

It means working with nature, thinking about the farm as part of a larger ecological system. It means growing fungally dominant, living soils, fostering biodiversity and resilient plants with the hope that one day, zero outside inputs would be needed.

STORIES OF REGENERATION:

SHORT FILM

Diversity at Snowy Mountain Farm

PODCAST

Podcast: Diversity is Resiliency at Snowy Mountain Farm

WEBINAR

🎥 Regenerating ourselves: Mental and physical health in agriculture

REGENERATIVE PRINCIPLE

Maintain living roots year round

Products

  • Cherries
  • Apricots
  • Peaches
  • Plums
  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Quince
  • 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
    • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Preserve and restore natural ecosystems
    • 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).
      • 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.
    • Integrate animals on the lands and ensure their welfare
      • Pastured pigs or poultry 
        The managed integration of pigs or poultry on pasture.

    Observations

    • Increase in biodiversity, including beneficial insects and birds
    • Less reliance on outside inputs
    • Increased water retention through the use of cover crops especially during extreme heat.

    Certifications

    • Organic (B.C. Association of Regenerative Agriculture (BCARA))

    How to buy

    • Vancouver Farmer's Markets (Riley Park and West End) and the Glen Valley Organic Cooperative CSA
    Contact
    snowymountainfarm.comsnowymountainfarm@gmail.com2504992115
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