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Farmers in our area enjoy a zone of moderated climate. They can
grow crops that would be impossible to grow further north like the
many soft fruits that we get to enjoy. The best known of these is
the wine grape, which is grown in the shelter of the Niagara Escarpment
on the Niagara Peninsula and in the southernmost part of Hamilton.
Rural
soils are composed of the local soil material, often clay-based
in our area, together with organic matter from years of adding fertilisers
and tilling crop stubble left after harvesting. Where livestock
are raised, manure is often used to make the soil more fertile.
Because of the use of fertilisers and manure, water that passes
through these soils carries a high 'nutrient load' with it into
local creeks. This water may also carry pesticides and other products
used on crops. 'Organic' growers, while still using fertilisers
and thus contributing nutrients to local creeks, avoid the use of
pesticides and synthetic fertilisers, which reduces the chemical
impact of their activities on local creeks and wildlife and is also
healthier for us.
| Nutrients
are those compounds that cause plants to grow. These compounds
generally contain nutrient elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium. Nutrient load is the mass of these nutrients
carried by water into surrounding waterways, over a period
of time. |
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