Caroline Halde - M.Sc. Candidate

I have completed my B.Sc. in Agronomy at Laval University, with a specialization in soil sciences and environment. I have started my Master’s degree at Nova Scotia Agricultural College - Dalhousie University in May 2007. My project is about soil compaction and plant biodiversity in pastures, and Dr. Ralph C. Martin is my supervisor.

I have a great interest in organic farming. My parents own an organic dairy farm in Quebec. On their 250 hectares, they organically crop corn, soybean, wheat and forages. My father is the president of the Association of Organic Dairy Farmers of Quebec. He taught me that, if you get involved in your community, you will have the strength and power to change things in the world that you want to be changed.

In November 2005, I traveled in Europe with a group of dairy farmers, teachers and agronomists to learn about the European organic milk production. I visited many organic research centers in Switzerland, Germany and Denmark, such as the FiBL-The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, the DOK-Trial, the University of Kassel, the DARCOF-Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming, the DIAS-Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, KVL-The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University. Since this time, I have realized that I really have a passion about organic agriculture research. I realized that I wanted to do a Master’s of Science degree linked to dairy farming and pasture management.

During my time as a student at Laval University, I have worked for two different research teams. I have worked in a soil physics laboratory, on gas diffusion in soil, and in an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada laboratory, on an organic tomato crop project. I have also worked for the certification organisation Québec Vrai as an organic inspector. I inspected many organic farms specializing in different vegetable and animal production; and I have observed the difficulties that organic farmers have to face, and what are the research priorities in organics. I have also worked as a journalist for Bio-bulle, the Quebecer magazine about organic agriculture.

I like challenges. Coming to Nova Scotia Agricultural College to do my Master’s degree is an excellent opportunity for my academic and personal development. Living in Nova Scotia for two years will also be a good chance for me to improve my English communication skills, as I am a French native speaker. I had the chance to receive a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to pursuit my studies at NSAC.

In my point of view, research is a good way to impact the way we practice agriculture in Canada. I have seen several problems in organic farming during my studies and my life experience. My research project is expected to be useful for farmers, and I hope that my project will identify pasture management systems that are more sustainable for the environment.

 

Caroline Halde
M.Sc. Candidate, NSAC/Dalhousie University
B.Sc., Université Laval
haldec@nsac.ca

Posted October 2007