CSLT Director David Ainslie was honoured on January 18, 2007 at the Essex Region Conservation Authority's Annual General Meeting which featured the 2006 Conservation Awards. Congratulations, David. Your award is well deserved.
The following appeared in the brochure which highlighted the various award winners: Mr. David Ainslie has a number of farms in the northeast portion of the region. His diverse farm operation includes conventional and organic cash crops, a bakery and an apiary.
Over 25 years of full time farming, David incorporated his sophisticated understanding of natural systems into his farming operation, and through his adoption of many conservation farm practices, he influenced the practices of other farmers across the region. David maintains a 25 acre woodlot in the Municipality of Leamington and has undertaken a woodlot restoration near Comber.
His nominator describes him as "an innovative farmer who was amongst the first in the region to adopt conservation farming techniques such as no-till planning." He has implemented many Beneficial Management Practices that improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat across all this farms. Most notably, Mr. Ainslie has made use of rock chutes, extensive tree planting, shelter belts and buffer strips which both reduce soil erosion and improve water quality, as well as increasing natural habitat and enhancing the sustainability of agricultural lands.
David is a founding director of the Canada South Land Trust, and he has also provided leadership to the Essex Soil & Crop Improvement Association and the Essex Conservation Club. With his change in focus from full time farming in 2006, he looks forward to working on further improvements to his farms. He has been a strong advocate for conservation farming practices within the agricultural community, and his efforts have contributed to creating a future of sustainability for this region.