Community Pastures program protects agricultural land.

The Farm Loan Board has seven community pastures located throughout rural Nova Scotia. Developed in the 1950s, the Community Pastures program was designed to help beef farmers keep their costs down by providing grazing land for their animals throughout the summer months.

The pastures have nearly 6,500 acres of land with approximately 4,684 of those acres cleared. The Farm Loan Board is proud to have this land available for farmers, and to keep large pieces of land in our province for agricultural use. Under the guidance of the Community Pasture Action Committee, a sub-committee of the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board, we look forward to continuing work on a new vision for the Community Pastures program.

In the foreground, three cows graze in a pasture. In the background are two pastures and a cattle corral.

Community Pastures site assessments

In late 2020, Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc. completed a report for the Farm Loan Board reviewing the current situation at each community pasture. The report includes site assessments, fertility assessment, recommendations, fertility improvement cost estimates, infrastructure assessments and recommendations, (including estimate of improvement costs), and estimates of potential stocking rates for the respective pastures. View Perennia’s full report.