News

Posted May 5, 2022

Syngenta’s Operation Pollinator program continues to grow in Ontario with a spring initiative for farmers engaged in soil health and water quality research through the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) Program. Participating ONFARM cooperators will convert up to two acres of lower-productivity land into dedicated pollinator habitat. Both Operation Pollinator and ONFARM are delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). Syngenta announced the partnership with OSCIA at the 2022 ONFARM Forum in February.

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Syngenta’s Operation Pollinator partners with on-farm researchers to create habitat

Posted March 20, 2022

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association launched an exciting new data visualization tool at its second annual ONFARM Research Forum on February 10, 2022. The virtual event introduced attendees to the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring program and shared accomplishments from the program’s second field season — including developing an interactive, user-friendly Data Dashboard.

The dashboard, built using Microsoft Power BI, will serve as a public space for anyone to access ONFARM data and results relevant to their farm or interests. Users can explore well-known soil health measurements, such as organic matter levels alongside more novel indicators like Solvita CO2-Burst and active carbon, or study correlations among them. Filters allow for comparison between ONFARM sites by operation type, tillage practices or landscape position.

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ONFARM data dashboard launched at 2022 research forum

Posted Oct 14, 2021

On October 14, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association hosted its first ONFARM Tailgate Tour. The event introduced farmers to the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program and demonstrated best management practices (BMPs) and how they can improve soil health. Farmers, project partners, government and conservation authority staff, and members of ONFARM’s Technical Working Group and Stakeholder Engagement Working Group were in attendance. ONFARM cooperator Brett Israel of 3Gen Organics in Wellington County hosted the tour. Field demonstrations were enhanced by the addition of OSCIA’s new Mobile Soil Technology Suite. The mobile demonstration suite consists of a trailer equipped with a LED screen, sound system, live-feed camera and more. Soil profiles, for example, were projected onto the large LED screen for attendees to view clearly at a safe distance.

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ONFARM goes high-tech for first Tailgate Tour

Posted July 9, 2021

Custom operators are playing a key role in supporting soil health and water quality research trials in a new program testing in-field practices. The On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program is a four-year, applied research initiative delivered by OSCIA on behalf of OMAFRA to support soil health and water quality research across farms in Ontario. This program is funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The ONFARM program conducts extensive soil health and water quality analysis on 33 farm sites across southern Ontario. This includes 25 soil health trial sites where best management practices (BMPs) are being compared side-by-side and eight edge-of-field (EOF) monitoring sites where soil health and water quality monitoring and modeling is being done in streams adjacent to the fields. ONFARM’s network of sites and the partnerships with excellent cooperators will help to build a stronger understanding of BMPs and their effects on soil health and water quality on Ontario agriculture.

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Custom Application an Important Part of ONFARM Research

Posted June 29, 2021

On the heels of an exciting first year of on-farm soil health and water quality research, ONFARM cooperators across Ontario are seeing the benefits of that research. Ed Roodzant, cash crop farmer, OSCIA member and ONFARM cooperator in Elgin County is excited about the first year of the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program. Ed has farmed for 40 years in the Rodney area. He has practiced no till and conservation tillage since the 1980s and Ed converted his fields to 100% strip-till in 2013. Ed has also used cover crops since 2015. Ed states, “I care about the land and believe these programs and good practices are very important.” He is a member of the Elgin Soil and Crop Improvement Association and plans to share results with members so the community and region can benefit from the important research. The BMP research underway at Ed’s ONFARM site is coordinated by The Soil Resource Group (SRG) and studies the use of cover crops in a corn-soybean rotation and an organic amendment (biosolid pellets) and a combination of both in side-by-side strips. The field site is gently rolling on very fine sandy soils. Ed’s soil health goals are to maintain or improve soil organic matter levels with organic amendments and reduce compaction with cover crops.

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ONFARM Cooperator Spotlight: Ed Roodzant, Elgin County

Posted 12 April, 2021

The On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program is a four-year, applied research initiative delivered by OSCIA on behalf of OMAFRA to support soil health and water quality research across farms in Ontario. This program is funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The ONFARM program encompasses extensive soil health and water quality analysis on 33 sites on working farms across southern Ontario. This network of sites and established partnerships with ONFARM cooperators will help to build a stronger understanding of best management practices (BMPs) and their effects on soil health and water quality on Ontario agricultural lands. OSCIA is very excited with the progress made in the first year of the program.

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ONFARM Program Highlights Successful First Year

Posted 20 November, 2020

OSCIA held four successful meet-and-greet events at ONFARM cooperator sites in September and October in eastern, central and southern Ontario. ONFARM cooperator farmers, project partners, government staff, and members of ONFARM’s Technical Working Group (TWG) and Stakeholder Engagement Working Group (SEWG) attended. Events were held outdoors to allow for physical distancing. Staff from Guelph-based Soil Resource Group (SRG) provided demonstrations, which included soil core profiles, explanations of soil health measurements and cover crop mixes and benefits. There were excellent discussions, culminating in a lot of questions, answers and considerations on how to preserve and improve soil health and water quality on Ontario farms. 

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OSCIA Hosts Four Events Across Ontario to Share ONFARM Project Plans

Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Partners With Farmers Across Southern Ontario to Conduct Soil Health and Water Quality Research

Posted 8 October, 2020

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) is pleased to announce the establishment of all ONFARM cooperator farm sites. The ONFARM program will complete extensive soil health and water quality analysis on 32 farm sites from across southern Ontario. This network of sites and newly established partnerships will help to build a stronger understanding of best management practices (BMPs) and their effect on soil health and water quality on Ontario farmland. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), the delivery agent for the ONFARM Program on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), is pleased to have achieved this major program milestone over the course of spring and summer 2020. 

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ONFARM Cooperator Sites Established Across Ontario