Sustainablitlity | Century 12 Farms

Sustainable agriculture is defined by 3 interactive components: economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility.

Component One: Economic Viability

Century 12 Farms has an Alberta government approved Environmental Farm Plan. At Century 12 Farm we follow three pillars of stewardship.

We believe in living in harmony with natural wildlife. Of the 5760 acres we own, 760 acres (that's 576 football fields!) are left for wildlife: sloughs for waterfowl, and bush patches for rabbits, coyotes, deer, moose, and all other furry creatures!
We believe in soil protection. In order to keep the precious topsoil we have practiced zero tillage since 2002. That means that after the harvest, we don't cultivate to break up the straw left after combining. Leaving the stubble helps prevent soil erosion and moisture run-off. New equipment technology allows us to seed into the stubble in the spring. Zero tillage has numerous advantages: higher earthworm count, better soil breathing, more organic matter, thicker topsoil, and less erosion. Not cultivating in the fall cuts diesel fuel consumption. Changes in farming methods have increased carbon sequestration by 400% since the mid 1990's. Prairie grain farmers now are storing more carbon than they emit.
We believe in adapting new technology. We use GPS technology to steer our equipment to prevent overlap of seeding and spraying and to vary the rate of chemical, fertilizer, and seed application to match the needs of the soil and the crop. Fertilizer and pesticides are then applied sparingly depending upon the needs of the soil and crop per acre. This reduces the excess use of crop inputs.

Century 12 Farms obviously meets component number one as we have been farming for 108 years. Our longevity in the business and our inclusion of the next generation proves our consistently profitable farm.

Component Two: Environmental Stewardship

Component Three: Social Responsibility

Century 12 Farms is proud of the fact that we have retained quality employees throughout our history. In fact, one of our current employees has been working with us for over 40 years! Beginning as a work experience student in high school, Ron Palmer is still a valuable employee and has brought his two sons and his brother to work as casual labour on our farm as well.

We value our employees and ensure that our farm follows all OH&S safety requirements.

Sustainable agriculture is defined by 3 interactive components: economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility.

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Century 12 Farms obviously meets component number one as we have been farming for 108 years. Our longevity in the business and our inclusion of the next generation proves our consistently profitable farm.