Below are my initial hypotheses for the work at Pye Farm, which gives some useful contextualization for the soil sampling.
- Pye Farm is comprised of a mixture of land uses, including annual cropping, fruit trees/bushes, and forested areas. Some portions, such as the fruit orchard, the drainage pond, and the land cleared in 2016/2017 but not put into farming, offer considerable interest as sources of variability and differentiation of land use. This preliminary soil survey, therefore, has the potential to be more than merely a baseline for us to understand future land changes; it has the opportunity to shed light not simply on the history of this farm, but also on how different land uses affect Podzols transformed from forest to agricultural land. This could help us understand better ways in which podzols and farmers transform each other, and how farmers can reshape podzols to agricultural uses in a way that does not follow the poor land transformations seen in the 20th century. If we can understand first how previous management by the Pyes affected the land as well as how the land affected their specific management decisions, it may give us a valuable framework to understand the current state of the land, and where it is likely to go once MUN starts actively managing it.
- The drainage pond towards the north end of the regularly farmed area is of particular interest. Whether it is artificial or was caused by a natural low spot/high water table in the landscape, it is to be expected that there should be substantial differences in physiochemical and biological features at this point. It also offers a fascinating opportunity to observe landscape changes under two differing types of farmed land (green manure and vegetable), as well as “natural” forest, since the northern edge is uncleared. This might allow the team to more closely examine the question, “when podzolic soils formed from riverine deposits are exposed to a regular source of water, how does it affect the soil chemistry and water-holding capacity? How are microbes affected?” A hypothesis is that we will see more anaerobic effects in the soil, such as gleyed zones or sulphur production, as we move closer to the water, and further, that the soils adjacent to the water will be more similar to each other, regardless of management, than those soils further away of a similar management type.
- There are two fruit patches: a larger cogent patch,and a smaller patch separated from it by a forest strip. The entire fruit patch area represents potentially differentiated soil from different land uses. It includes: fruit patch soil, forage agricultural soil, green manure agricultural soil, and recently cleared soil. This offers the opportunity to compare soil differentiation on a gradient, and for opportunities to compare/contrast with other studies. For example, one study in central Canada studied the practice of clearing small amounts of forest and planting fruit trees to create pockets of economically-useful forest, also with a similar gradient, following First Peoples practices in the area. Examining this soil by transect could provide clues into podzol transformations into perennial or semi-perennial (fruit) crops, or into regular agricultural uses found via annual hay/legume forage or green manure crops in regular rows. The question posed is, “How might podzol forest soils be converted to agronomic fruit cash crops found in tree, bush, or berry forms, and what conversions occur within the soil as a result of this conversion?” A hypothesis emerging is that we expect to see less change resulting from conversion to fruit than in conversion to vegetable or other annual cropland, and further, that the degree of change would be predicated on the amount that the crops differed from natural podzolic cover, such that fruit bushes and trees had soil properties closer to the “natural” podzolic soil than annual row crops or semi-annual fruit crops (e.g. strawberries under plastic).
- The recently (2017?) cut and cleared forest area on the north side of the farm represents an excellent insight into the effects of forest clearing followed by fallow or abandonment practices. Since this land was not used as farmland, the operation of the farm being interrupted by the poor health of the deceased Mr. Pye, it presents the opportunity to see the effects on podzolic soil physiochemical features caused by land clearance, ass well as to observe how the land is re-establishing plant cover in the absence of management. If this land is intended to become agricultural fields, it would also provide an opportunity to track, “in real time”, changes in podzols brought on by field management as the land is put in production, and could be compared with the adjacent “natural” land for a baseline. The question would be, “If land is cleared and then abandoned to nature again, what soil changes occur? And if the land is then converted into regular farmland, can we observe visible changes representing the degradation or loss of soil microbes or organic matter?” A hypothesis might be that clearing the land should result in loss of microbial diversity and soil carbon, with some recovery from regrowth of plants. Further, completing the conversion to farmland should result in loss of microbial diversity and soil carbon. This might be useful to compare to a study conducted by Dr. Unc at Cormack, NL, on a long-term farm field for comparison.
- The most mature and most dense forest appears to be confined to the northern end of the property and near the farmhouse, with much of the other “natural” land cover being shrub, grass, and/or forbs. This offers the opportunity to compare different land covers (and their presumptive plant+microbial communities) with agricultural conversions of other podzolic soil, assisted by the relatively uniform soil type over the property. This may allow examination of a question of paramount importance for boreal regions: “What ways can farmers convert podzols into farmland that do not result in degradation of the soil? What are particular crop types or management practices that can improve a farmers’ management of podzolic soils?” The hypothesis would be that podzolic conversions result in loss of organic matter, but with a concurrent increase in pH and cation content due to farmer management and additions, and further, that there are specific practices (such as green manures) that are both effective and vital in maintaining a farm’s fertility and the soil’s organic matter in the long term to avoid degradation.
- The northern portion of main farm area (adjacent to the pond) appears to have been primarily utilized for vegetables and green manure crops, while the southern portion (excluding fruit) is primarily dominated by forage crops. Comparing these could allow for the question, “Do different crop types, on very similarly managed soils of similar origin, cause distinct differences in soil properties?” The hypothesis would be that different crop types should show differences in soil properties, especially when legumes are involved, but that overall trends should be similar.
- An important concern with any research farm is in making the research conducted not only of utility to local farmers, but of conducting it with practices that both reflect local farmers and are within their means to experiment with. Pye Farm, in particular, represents a unique opportunity, as it was an economically viable farm during its tenure, and took advantage of the market for local food with a diverse mixture of vegetables and fruits, particularly, “pick-your-own,” allowing it to earn brand loyalty. As such, interviewing the surviving Ms. Pye and examining her wisdom and experiences with the farm is vital to understanding the history of the farm, as well as how future practices might affect it. It might also highlight particular concerns of farmers in this area of Labrador, what practices they used, and why the farm was designed and implemented in its current style. This in turn could allow us to see ways forward for r+d on the farm that might be of use to local agriculture in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
