10. Shelterbelts and Modern Agriculture

Many of the first settlers to our region were from Ontario and they loved the wide-open prairie. Letters home to often included a reference to the ease with which they could break the treeless soil and plant their first crops. When the first soddy or shack was built along with some shelter for livestock, and the first few crops were harvested, they might then turn their attention to enhancing the farm yard. Part of that task would involve planting some trees. The first shelterbelts were primarily windbreaks around farmyards.

The early settlement years, from 1879 through 1884 were wet years on the prairies, and the main challenge for new farmers was marketing their crops. As the wet cycle ended it soon became apparent that farming practices that had served well in Ontario or Britain would need some modification to work here. For some time the focus was on new farming practices that would work in this new dry land. These new methods enabled farmers to establish themselves and even to prosper.

That all changed when the droughts of the thirties came, and it became apparent that in the drier parts of the prairies it was going to take a more proactive approach.

The establishment of shelterbelts became a priority for many farmers, in regions that lacked natural woodland shelter. These shelterbelts provided necessary protection the wind erosion that had devastated so many farms, and enabled farming on what would otherwise have been marginal land.

As we moved into the modern era other technological innovations appeared. Minimal tillage strategies, irrigation, advanced pesticides and artificial fertilizers all helped farmers increase production.

Shelterbelts as originally conceived were often seen as not compatible with modern farming. They interfered with large fields and large machinery. Pesticides harmed them. They used valuable crop land and made large scale irrigation difficult. They restricted the adaptability required in “modern” large-scale operations.

In addition to the cost of maintaining shelterbelts there were other drawbacks.  The used productive land, in wet years shading and excess moisture could be an issue, they can become weed traps and they make aerial spraying in difficult.

In short, they were not cost-effective.

Mature shelterbelts interfere with irrigation technology.

Today there is a renewed interest in shelterbelts and in finding ways in which they can be used along with the large-scale farms. The multiple benefits have always been there; prevention of soil erosion, protection of crops and livestock, odor control around lagoons and hog barns, and increasingly, aesthetics. The problem is that, on the surface, the costs seem to outweigh the benefits.

To see the complete benefits, one has to look beyond individual parcels of land, and see the eco-system as a whole. There are benefits to the community at large and there are provincial, national and global implications that flow from our use of the land. Issues surrounding the advisability of carbon sequestration, of regional soil and water conservation, of the protection of aquifers, and the need for wildlife and habitat corridors  are considerations.

With that in mind some jurisdictions are proposing incentives along with alternate strategies in an effort to revisit the use of shelterbelts. These strategies include finding optimal spacing as the traditional four rows per quarter section is not economically advantageous on the large farm.

In addition to new shelterbelt formats efforts are being made at education and awareness. One approach is to showcase additional possible benefits such as: the potential for timber harvesting, improved soil quality and retention, the use of fruits and non-timber products, and the impact shelterbelts have in road dust control. Riparian protection and enhancement is also a factor

In short, an effort has been made to recognize and calculate the benefits beyond the individual farm operation. Any incentives offered to landowners can be justified by those external benefits.


Based on:

Shelterbelts in Large-Scale Agriculture

Chris Reynolds – Whitemud Conservation District
Ralph Oliver – Reeve – R.M. of North Cypress