New Brunswick agriculture group digs into soil health… by burying T-shirts

Sainte-Basile

Passekeag

What goes on beneath the surface of the soil in a farmers’ field is a bit of a mystery to those passing by on the highway. But earlier this week, Living Lab New Brunswick (LLNB) unearthed part of the secret when it dug up over 25 cotton T-shirts buried in farmers’ fields earlier this summer. Ferme Oscar Daigle Farm in Sainte-Basile and Passekeag Holding Farm in Passekeag, near Hampton, are two of the participating farms.

The degradation of buried T-shirts in soil, done as part of the Soil Your T-Shirt activity, reflects the effects of beneficial management practices (BMPs) on farms that were developed during the Living Lab – New Brunswick project. These BMPs aim to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fields. T-shirts buried in fields where BMPs are in place were compared with T-shirts buried in fields without BMPs.

Launched in 2021, Agricultural Climate Solutions – Living Labs (ACS-LL) is a $185M, 10-year program that uses the living lab approach to agricultural innovation. The solutions developed will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sequestering carbon, as well as delivering other environmental benefits to protect soil health, water quality and biodiversity.

“Farmers across New Brunswick work hard to make sure their land is healthy for future generations. With innovation and knowledge sharing through Living Lab New Brunswick, they’re able to adopt sustainable farming practices that tackle climate change and build a more competitive and resilient agriculture sector”, said the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

For LLNB Project Manager, Cedric MacLeod, the results reinforce that BMPs like planting cover crops and reducing tillage are working. BMPs help improve soil fertility and therefore reduce the need for inputs. They create an environment in the soil where valuable microbes thrive, which helps to build healthy soils, helps plants to absorb nutrients, and helps to suppress disease.

“This microbial activity is one of the clearest indicators of soil health and ecosystem vitality,” MacLeod says. “The degradation of the T-shirts shows how active and alive the soil really is and recognizes soil as a living resource to nurture and protect.”

There are 25 living lab sites in New Brunswick and hundreds of sites across the country. Each living lab brings together farmers, scientists and other sector partners to co-develop, test and evaluate innovative technologies and farming practices under real-world conditions, accelerating the adoption of sustainable on-farm solutions to address climate change.

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