Allan Ling believes in tackling environmental problems head on. Together with his brother, Melvin, he runs Lingdale Farms – a beef feedlot and finish hog operation in Wheatley River.
Since the farm is in the heart of the community and in close proximity to the river, Allan said they have always made every effort to ensure their operation does not impact negatively on the environment. The farm was one of the first in the area to fence its cattle out of the creek which flows into the river's tributary.
The farm had a feedlot in an aging barn that was located at the bottom of a hill and across the street from a brook. Allan said spring run-offs carried manure particles into the water and, "When we prepared our environmental farm plan, it was something we red-flagged."
With funding from the Prince Edward Island ADAPT Council (which administers the federal Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund), the Lings have taken a two-step approach to solving the problem.
The first step was taken in 2000 when the old barn was demolished and replaced with a new structure further up the hill; however, both brothers were concerned about run-off caused by machinery and truck movement in the area. To correct that problem, they developed a work area that was paved with concrete and reinforced with rebar.
"With heavy machinery going over it all the time, concrete was the only thing that would hold up," Allan explained. "It has been a tremendous improvement, and it will only get better – we are expecting to see a real difference next spring."
He explained the work solved two problems. Shale and soil in the area were continually worked over by trucks going back and forth unloading potato by-products used for cattle feed into the barn. He said even though shale had been added on a number of occasions and the area had been contoured for water run-off, every heavy rain still produced piles of water in the wheel tracks.
He explained the second challenge was a hollowed out area adjacent to the highway where the water drains. Trucks were driving over the area to retrieve round bales for feed, which loosened the soil and caused some of it to move into the brook along with the drainage water. Allan said the new 20 by 60 foot concrete pad directs water away from the building to a grassed buffer area. A culvert then carries it away to the drainage area.
Allan said the farm has always taken the concerns of the community into its planning, adding the improvements had the full support of the Wheatley River Improvement Group. Group spokesman Pierre-Yves Daoust said Lingdale Farms is in a "critical location" for the health of the river, and he said the Ling brothers have been willing to try a number of measures to decrease the amount of run-off from their farm. He added, "We have been fully supportive of this project."
For more information contact: Phil Ferraro, ADAPT Council, (902) 368-2005.