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"Farm life Nova Scotia."
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Accidental Farmer
Nova Scotia's Ross Farm Museum is a living window into the province's agricultural history.Since the museum opened in 1970, it has been a favourite destination for school children, who have been educated about early times and farming.There, you can see straw hats being woven, wool being spun, and butter being churned.
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Re-centering labour in local food: local washing and the growing reliance on permanently temporary migrant farmworkers in Nova Scotia
This article explores the labour behind local food in the Canadian Atlantic province of Nova Scotia. Based on surveys and interviews with farmers, migrant farmworkers, and farmers’ market consumers in the province, we suggest that the celebration of local food by government and industry is a form of “local washing.” Local washing hides key aspects of the social relations of production: in this case, it hides insufficient financial and policy supports for Nova Scotian farms and the increased reliance on migrant farmworkers via the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Our research found that a growing reliance on migrant farmworkers was not just the case for larger, industrial farms, but also for smaller farms participating in local and alternative food initiatives, like farmers’ markets and fresh produce subscription boxes. Additionally, our surveys show that while farmers’ market shoppers expressed an interest in supporting local foods, they reported knowing little about farm workers or working conditions. Our paper contributes to the literature on local and alternative food initiatives by connecting the relations of production to consumption. Rather than focusing solely on the nature of the relationships between farmers and consumers and the values embodied in direct agricultural markets, this research explores the central role of permanently temporary migrant workers in local agriculture.
Journal Article
Adapting the Cool Farm Tool for Achieving Net-Zero Emissions in Agriculture in Atlantic Canada
Agriculture is responsible for nearly one-quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with livestock and poultry systems contributing significantly through methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Achieving net-zero agriculture demands tools that not only quantify emissions but also guide management decisions and foster behavioral change. The Cool Farm Tool (CFT)—a science-based calculator for farm-level carbon footprints, water use, and biodiversity—has been widely adopted across Europe and parts of the United States. Yet, despite its proven potential, no Canadian studies have tested or adapted CFT, leaving a major gap in the country’s progress toward climate-smart farming. This paper addresses that gap by presenting the first surveys of poultry and dairy producers in Atlantic Canada as a foundation for tailoring and localizing CFT. Our mixed-methods surveys examined farm practices, feed, manure, energy use, waste management, sustainability perceptions, and openness to digital tools. Results on 23 responses (20 for poultry, 3 for dairy) revealed limited awareness but moderate interest in emission tracking: dairy farmers, already accustomed to digital systems such as robotic milking and herd software, were receptive and confident about adopting CFT. Poultry farmers, by contrast, voiced greater concerns over cost, complexity, and uncertain benefits, signaling higher adoption barriers in this sector. These findings highlight both the opportunity and the challenge: while dairy farms appear ready for rapid uptake, poultry requires stronger incentives, clearer value demonstration, and sector-specific customization. We conclude that adapting CFT with regionally relevant data, AI-driven decision support, and supportive policy frameworks could make it a cornerstone for achieving net-zero agriculture in Atlantic Canada.
Journal Article
Stability of midge assemblages in productive shallow lakes exposed to point and diffuse nutrient inputs
Human activities in the headwaters of the Carleton River Watershed (southwest Nova Scotia, Canada) are suspected to have led to nutrient enrichment of freshwaters, resulting in downstream effects. However, the presence of multiple nutrient sources in the headwaters, including mink fur farming and land-based aquaculture, have made it difficult to distinguish the dominant stressor(s). We used sedimentary chironomid and chaoborid remains and visible reflectance spectroscopy of sedimentary chlorophyll-a (VRS chl-a) to assess the timing and nature of limnological changes in two shallow eutrophic-hypereutrophic lakes that have been directly monitored for water quality since 2008. The catchment of eutrophic Hourglass Lake contains one mink farm and an aquaculture operation, and the outlet of Hourglass Lake flows into hypereutrophic Placides Lake through a watershed with several mink fur farms. Midge assemblages at Hourglass Lake showed a compositional shift (ANOSIM: 0.65, P < 0.001) coincident with the start of aquaculture in ~ 1990. However, the Chaoborus:chironomid (chaob:chir) ratio and midge-inferred volume-weighted hypolimnetic oxygen (VWHO) did not reflect decreased concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Midge assemblages at hypereutrophic Placides Lake showed no significant compositional shift and the chaob:chir ratio and inferred of dissolved oxygen were stable over the ~ 80-year record. It is likely that hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations have not decreased markedly in these productive lakes. Trends in VRS chl-a were also relatively stable at Placides Lake despite decades of nutrient inputs from the upstream watershed. High water colouration of these eutrophic-hypereutrophic shallow lakes may have increased their resilience to nutrient inputs from the catchment. Moreover, our study confirms that midge assemblage composition does not respond directly to phosphorus inputs in these shallow, stratified lakes. We highlight the stability of midge assemblages to decades of nutrient inputs from a land-based aquaculture operation and mink fur farms.
Journal Article
Seasonal and Land Use Effects on Soil Respiration and Its Controlling Factors in Arid Lands from Northeastern Mexico
The extreme conditions in arid ecosystems make these environments sensitive to environmental changes. Particularly, land use and seasonal changes are determinants of their soil carbon dynamics. The effect of those elements on soil respiration (RS) is still poorly known in several arid regions of the world. This study investigates the seasonal effect on the RS and its controlling factors throughout different land use systems in northeastern Mexico. RS and 34 biotic and abiotic variables were measured across agricultural crops, natural shrublands, livestock farms, walnut orchards, and industrially influenced soils during the dry and wet seasons. Six variables (soil water content, soil organic matter, soil temperature, silt, and pH) were found as drivers of RS on both local and regional scales. Seasonal and land use had a transversal effect on RS and its controlling factors. RS dynamics were primarily modulated by soil water content, with the wet season and managed lands showing increased sensitivity to climatic and anthropogenic changes. These results indicate that land management strategies are critical for carbon cycling, particularly in water-limited regions like northeastern Mexico, where land use changes are occurring at an accelerated pace.
Journal Article
Applying Machine Learning Algorithms for the Classification of Mink Infected with Aleutian Disease Using Different Data Sources
American mink (Neogale vison) is one of the major sources of fur for the fur industries worldwide, whereas Aleutian disease (AD) is causing severe financial losses to the mink industry. A counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) method is commonly employed in a test-and-remove strategy and has been considered a gold standard for AD tests. Although machine learning is widely used in livestock species, little has been implemented in the mink industry. Therefore, predicting AD without using CIEP records will be important for controlling AD in mink farms. This research presented the assessments of the CIEP classification using machine learning algorithms. The Aleutian disease was tested on 1157 individuals using CIEP in an AD-positive mink farm (Nova Scotia, Canada). The comprehensive data collection of 33 different features was used for the classification of AD-infected mink. The specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, and F1 measure of nine machine learning algorithms were evaluated for the classification of AD-infected mink. The nine models were artificial neural networks, decision tree, extreme gradient boosting, gradient boosting method, K-nearest neighbors, linear discriminant analysis, support vector machines, naive bayes, and random forest. Among the 33 tested features, the Aleutian mink disease virus capsid protein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was found to be the most important feature for classifying AD-infected mink. Overall, random forest was the best-performing algorithm for the current dataset with a mean sensitivity of 0.938 ± 0.003, specificity of 0.986 ± 0.005, accuracy of 0.962 ± 0.002, and F1 value of 0.961 ± 0.088, and across tenfold of the cross-validation. Our work demonstrated that it is possible to use the random forest algorithm to classify AD-infected mink accurately. It is recommended that further model tests in other farms need to be performed and the genomic information needs to be used to optimize the model for implementing machine learning methods for AD detection.
Journal Article
What Can Photo-Elicitation Tell Us About How Maritime Farmers Perceive Wetlands as Climate Changes?
Wetlands provide numerous public and private benefits, cushioning our vulnerability to climate change, yet wetlands are increasingly subject to land-use conversion. In Nova Scotia, land drainage has become as much a cultural practice as a production activity in the almost four centuries since Acadians started draining coastal marshes for farming. Nonetheless, many farmers have begun reintroducing and restoring wetlands. We undertook an exploratory photo-elicitation study with livestock farmers in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, to understand what their farm landscape values suggested about their perceptions of wetlands and climate change without disclosing these specific interests. Farm landscapes evoked three general themes for farmers: pragmatic and immediate issues related to short-term economic viability; longer-term stewardship of ecosystem services, albeit an incomplete set of them; and, sense of place and identity. Many farmers clearly valued wetlands—and were having them constructed—largely to improve and regulate water quality. Climate change was not, however, a significant component of any narratives, much less those related to wetlands, potentially because of the visual methods employed to elicit them.
Journal Article
Soil Phosphorus Effects on Forage Harvested and Nitrogen Fixation on Canadian Organic Dairy Farms
Declining soil‐test phosphorus (STP) levels on eastern Canadian organic dairy farms is a concern because of potential negative impacts on forage growth and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). This study examined the relationship between STP, forage productivity, and BNF on organic or transitional‐organic dairy farms in Ontario (ON) and Nova Scotia (NS). More than two‐thirds of 28 legume–grass mixed forage fields in the study were low in available P by provincial soil‐test guidelines. Averaged across all fields over 2 yr, forage legume proportion was 46%, forage harvested 5.9 Mg ha–1, BNF 64 kg ha–1, and N harvested 153 kg N ha–1. Forage tissue P concentrations were clearly correlated with STP in the low soil‐test categories (<10 mg Olsen P kg–1 of soil in ON; <30 mg Mehlich‐3 P kg–1 of soil in NS), above which there was little response. Inclusion of soil total P or organic P did not improve the fit of regressions. However, STP explained a very small fraction of variation in forage harvested and BNF. Ninety percent of tissue P concentrations were above 2 g P kg–1 of tissue, a frequently cited critical minimum, and the only apparently P deficient forage crops were on fields that received no manures or fertilizers for more than 5 yr. In the term of this study, low STP was apparently not having a significant impact on forage harvested or BNF on the majority of eastern Canadian organic dairy farms. This result may not apply to seedling‐year forages or other crops.
Journal Article
Producer’s Self-Declared Wind Energy ECO-Labeling Consequences on the Market: A Canadian Case Study
The demand for environmental labels is increasingly becoming important for consumers to differentiate products and to make an informed choice. This study reports the findings of a business case study in Nova Scotia (Canada) that demonstrates how renewable wind energy and wind labeling can extend the competitive advantage of a producer. By using qualitative case study techniques, the study generates evidence which suggests on the firm level that wind energy and labelling influences competitive advantage of firms, can dictate a premium price, can differentiate products, yet achieve a low-cost advantage. Wind labels also have the potential to drive the supply chain’s environmental value to the consumer as the end user by requiring the distribution chain to follow good environmental practices. On the consumer level, in terms of label information, whereby product qualities cannot be evaluated by a search prior to purchase or by experience after purchase, eco-friendliness of the product can take predominance. Not all consumers will buy eco-friendly eggs; instead, there are other factors that drive consumers, such as their opinions towards wind technology, consumer psychographics, personality, and other behavioural determinants and, hence, attract a strong niche market. Finally, for the trust in labels, though the producer does not have third party accreditation, the labels work for them, through the means-end chain analysis where egoistic and altruistic intentions persuade environmental behaviour. As such, this study highlights the probability that in principle, there appears to be an opportunity for wind labelling to be successful; in practice, wind labelling is bound to attract a particular niche market through differentiation strategies.
Journal Article