SUSTAINABILITY

We at Kroeker Farms believe the future is growing more using less. We believe in minimizing the impact on the environment. We strive to be more efficient in our use of water and energy. By employing modern mechanization, Kroeker Farms seeks to reduce manual labour and thereby also producing food more economically.

Kroeker Farms holds environmental sustainability as a core value. Good stewardship of the land is our objective, and we work towards this goal through various means.

• Soil is continually improved, and erosion is reduced through the use of cover cropping, ridge tilling, and shelterbelts.
• Irrigation water is collected from excess water during spring run-off. This reduces flooding and erosion.
• Minimizing nutrient-leaching water run-off by ensuring irrigation water and fertilizer applications are applied to meet (not exceed) crop demand, based on plant growth stage, weather conditions, economic thresholds, soil testing and field scouting as well as using tile drainage so that the soil profile absorbs and stores moisture and releases it slowly.
• Heavily influenced by our learning through organic production, our integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines cultural, chemical and biological control methods to keep pest populations below economically damaging levels and limit chemical use. Good crop rotations, soil building practices, and fertility and irrigation management help keep weeds and insects below economic thresholds.
• Water used for washing potatoes is recycled; the mud and trash is separated and returned to fields, while fresh potable water is used to rinse every potato and then captured in the water system.
• Potatoes that don't make the grade are either sent for processing (into perogies), or if that is not possible, fed to cattle. The manure is collected, converted to compost, and applied to fields.