Sustainability

We believe the word sustainability originated from the principles of organic farming. We collect and hold water in cisterns from the land, the roofs of buildings and through our natural purification of grey water.  We are diligent on returning nutrients to the ground from any leaves, roots or excess produce that has been harvested. When purchasing packaging, or any other items required, our goal is to ensure that they are environmentally responsible. Pollination is another key factor in sustainability.  We have designed our landscape to attract pollinators by planting a variety of aromatic flowers and creating small water reservoirs.

Renewable Energy

Our goal is to have a 0% carbon footprint on the earth by relying on two wind turbines and four solar panels.

Power from the wind turbines and solar panels provide hydro to all buildings and water management systems on the farm.

Permaculture

Permaculture means ‘permanent culture’ on the land, or ‘permanent agriculture’ in terms of growing food in harmony with natural processes and creating long-term quality of life for the local community.

Permaculture (Pc) obtains its direction, no matter what the project scale, by mimicking natural processes in form and function of natural ecosystems. Thus, design solutions based in permaculture are inherently energy efficient, stable, diverse, resilient, self-regulating and aesthetically pleasing.

At Cherryvale Organic Farm, permaculture principles have been applied in many ways: water management, nutrient recycling, interface with modern, efficient buildings and, of course, land-based production of food. The result is a multi-functional farm environment where every element has more than one purpose, and every purpose is achieved by more than one element.

Such ‘complexity’ is replete in nature’s designs. Strategic redundancy is important, for it offers alternate pathways in case others need to heal or are disrupted for any reason. Nature is organized to provide an abundance of healthy produce for local consumption.

Brad Peterson is one of Canada’s permaculturists. Brad prepared his first permaculture farm plan in Ontario for Terry and Sharron O’Sullivan near Arthur in 1988. For more information please visit BradPeterson.ca.

Pond Project

Aside from the aesthetic value of the pond at Cherryvale, the pond provides a good source of water for irrigation. The pond has also given us the opportunity to showcase a sustainable ecosystem. The critical issue with pond water quality is maintaining adequate dissolved oxygen in the water. This has been achieved by suspending a pump from a floating island. The island will act as a nutrient sink which will tie up any dissolved nutrients in the pond as well as precipitate out suspended solids in the water, thereby increasing water clarity. This pump moves water from the bottom of the pond into a bioswale that runs along the south edge and falls back into the pond, providing water circulation/aeration along the length of the pond. An aeration stone has also been installed to en sure adequate oxygen throughout the entire pond. In the spring of 2010, fathead minnows were added to the pond. These minnows will feed on the algae that cover the rocks. The fathead minnows will also feed on invertebrates, particularly things like mosquito larvae. In the spring of 2011, the pond will be populated with small mouth bass while the minnows will be their food source. This ecosystem will require no addition of feed, keeping the organic matter in the pond at low levels and encouraging ecosystem health. The pond system was designed by C&M Aquatics, while final landscaping of the pond edge and bioswale area was done by Terra Vista Landsacaping.