32 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | February 2024 ty limit of how far I want to travel to farm more land, so I am really happy with the acres we are farming. But to do more, we need to do more with the land we have and diversify. We are transitioning back to a more traditional style of farming with the livestock and all these different spokes. What’s your goal for the farm? Getting to five per cent organic matter in our soil is a goal that’s measurable and achievable during my career. We probably started around 2.5 per cent and we are just over three per cent now, so we are seeing about 0.1 to 0.2 per cent increases in organic matter annually across our acreages. How do you manage teamwork with your family? We are really blessed in how our succession planning went. It was a very smooth transition. Mom and Dad, my in-laws, were ready to stop farming full-time. We had a tragic event with a fire in 2018, and that pushed us toward a pivot. Mom and Dad have been very supportive of the changes I’ve initiated on the farm, and I feel like they are proud. Because they’ve spent their whole life building the farm to what it is today, seeing them happy is rewarding. I’m really blessed I don’t have to manage family dynamics. What do you do in your time off? For my time off I have to physically leave the farm; I can’t take a day off in the farmhouse or around the farm. I like to golf. We have a group that golfs every Thursday, and if I make half of those, that’s pretty good for me. I also love to travel, so we try our darndest to get away once a year as a family and be completely separated from the farm. What does sustainability mean to you? To me, sustainability is not sufficient. When I think sustainability, I classify three types of farming. Conventional farming depletes the soil, and sustainable farming maintains the soil at the same levels. I don’t like the term regenerative, but it seems to best describe rebuilding the soil. We’ve depleted soils by 50 per cent in the past 100 years, and we can’t afford to keep doing that, so we need to think hard about how we behave as an industry. I think it’s a challenge, but I think it’s an opportunity as well. On our farm, we soil-sample intensively, and I think that’s an important part. We need to know what’s in our soils to make decisions as to what goes back onto it. I see nothing but a bright future, with the next generation coming in, new research and increased efficiency. These are all positive things as we look to feed a growing population in the world. BF Our team is looking for new locations on MTO or busy County/Township roads Call Chris at 1-844-390-5737 www.topoutdoor.ca UP CLOSE
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