P.E.I.'s David Francis Farm wins national environmental award
The David Francis Farm of Lady Fane, P.E.I., won the Canadian Cattlemen Association's Environmental Stewardship Award for its soil conservation efforts.
The seventh-generation farm is operated by father and son team David and Brett Francis and family and was presented with the award in Calgary on Wednesday.
"We were pretty well blown away," David Francis told Island Morning.
"All I could think about was my father and family — it brought out a lot of emotion I didn't really know was there."
Protecting their waterways
The Francis farm won the award for their soil conservation efforts on their land as well as "respecting the land they farm and the natural environment," according to a news release from the CCA.
"The biggest environmental practice on our farm is we've totally fenced off all our brooks, the cattle don't have any access to our waterways," Francis said.
The farm also rotationally grazes their cattle, Francis added, making for an extended grazing period.
"My father and his grandfather they had a mixed operation where they always had livestock and crops — it's a process [in the family] for generations."
Award a big win for P.E.I.
Francis said he doesn't do anything on their farm that isn't done on many other farms across the province, however, he's humbled by the award win and honoured by the recognition for P.E.I.
"I don't look at it as an award for us, I look at it as a recognition for Prince Edward Island and all the sustainable practices that farmers all across the Island is doing."
The David Francis Farm was nominated by the Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers Association and is the first farm from the Atlantic region to win the award in its 21-year history, according to the CCA.
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