Agricultural Outreach Program

Soil health is the name of the game!

What do we mean by soil health and soil structure? This is the very basis of soil and what supports a farmer to gain higher crop yields. Improving the local water quality is directly related to good soil health.

Good soil health needs to have these characteristics:

Lots of dark soil means higher organic matter.
Water can be easily absorbed into the soil.
Water movement through the soil is at is best for the root systems.
With a good soil structures soil is less erodible- becomes resilient.
Food for the growing plants are more available – nutrients for crops.

When soil structure is lost, run-off and erosion increase. Erosion relocates soil nutrients away from cropland. This impacts both farmers and the water quality of our watersheds and Lake Huron.

We have had various programs that provide infield farmer to farmer workshops. Coffee, Crops and Donuts was a good example of a program we offered. This allowed farmers to share experiences about agricultural practices like cover crop demonstrations. They provided an excellent opportunity to learn and explore. These free sessions depend on funding and staffing.

What does SVCA do to support soil health?

Agricultural conservation programs

We support community conservation partners like Stewardship Grey Bruce. They develop local incentive programs in Grey and Bruce Counties.
We support numerous groups, organizations, and institutions to develop and implement agricultural conservation programs throughout the watershed.
We have partnered with the following agencies to create Healthy Lake Huron with funding from the Canada Ontario Agreement (COA).
- Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Coffee, Crops and Donuts

This was a series of workshops focusing on soil conservation and stewardship practices and was done through peer-to-peer learning and practical solutions. This will continue to evolve when funding becomes available.
We continue to reach out to the agricultural community with information. We also continue to seek partnerships to help fund this effort.
We work with the Healthy Lake Huron Stewardship Cluster. This helps to develop an understanding of the needs of the agricultural community. It allows them to share information with their urban and cottage neighbours.

Water infiltration and compaction recovery research

We worked to advance our understanding of the impacts of best management practices. This work supports innovation in our watershed. Our partners from 2018 to 2020 in this effort were:
- Bruce Soil and Crop Improvement Association (BSCIA)
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
- University of Guelph
Water Infiltration and Compaction Recovery Report

Soil health education (Getting students involved)

Through various educational learning opportunities, we encourage the participation and involvement of youth. We help them understand agriculture. They also learn how conservation efforts can improve farming and the environment!