Can wildlife and agriculture coexist? Ask a wildlife biologist and the answer would be 'no'. Ask a grain farmer, and the answer would still be 'no'.
Are these statements an over simplification of reality? I think it is, and many biologists and farmers would agree. From the point of view of the farmer, many like to see wildlife on their land. They will go out of their way to provide habitat for a wide range of species. They see wildlife as a sign of healthy land.
I know a farmer, nearing retirement, who is building nesting sites in the middle of flat, uninterrupted cropland to increase the habitat in the area. Now, this is quite a departure from another neighbour who may be hiring the same equipment to fill a pothole or clear a road allowance to increase cropland acres and make field operations easier.
So, why do we see these extremes in practices? We can rationalize these activities based on economics and efficiencies, science and technologies, even government policies and world trade. Yet, we know what the bottom line is, don't we - that is attitude.
Attitudes are shaped by many factors. Culture, family training, peer pressure, religious beliefs, personality, academic training, and world experience affects our attitudes about everything around us.
Change has been said to be the only thing we can count on. I believe that in the next few years we will experience changes in attitudes by both the biologist and the farmer. In fact, it has to happen. Now, the two groups are further separated than is useful. In the future, land use issues will force the two professions closer together.
What will need to happen? Both groups will need to learn the objectives of the other, understand them and cooperate in finding common ground from which to find mutually acceptable solutions.
The Steering Committee of the Conservation Learning Centre created both wildlife and soil conservation as an objective for the Centre two years ago. It is an ongoing process, but because these are written objectives, the concept is becoming more recognizable in the operation of the demonstration farm.
We have learned that 'habitat' can mean many things. Some wildlife may benefit from one practice while others don't and vice versa. By doing several different things, we believe that the diversity will enhance habitat for that many more forms of wildlife. Standing stubble, brush piles, berry bushes, trees, grass, potholes, and even parked field equipment seem to have provided habitat so far.
These discoveries are just the beginning of understanding dual-purpose land uses and management practices.