Atlantic Canada TESA Nominee: Holdanca Farms
CCA – May 6, 2024
Farming in harmony with nature can also help build resilience against weather variables.
Through proper management, Nova Scotia’s Holdanca Farms can finish cattle and other livestock on grass on their 500-acre operation and at the same time protect and enhance the environment to the benefit of a wide range of flora and fauna.
It is definitely a win/win situation where proper management of forages and other natural resources on the farm supports economical livestock production while also benefiting the environment and diverse wildlife species as well.
The farm’s management with nature-focused, regenerative and sustainable production systems, earned it recognition by the Maritime Beef Council as the 2024 Atlantic Canada recipient of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA).
“Proper pasture management is something that has been part of our approach to farming for many years,” says John Duynisveld, who is the second generation on the family farm. “My dad started rotational grazing on a 10 acre field back in 1988 and it is still one of the most productive pastures on the farm. Grazing management was gradually applied to the whole farm by 1998.”