In this issue Huron County Summer Meeting August 23 Upcoming workshops GRCA announces cover crop funding Upcoming Heartland events
Huron County Summer Meeting
Bring your neighbour, bring your spouse, and come on out to the Huron County Soil & Crop Summer Twilight Meeting! This event will be a car tour between three locations.
4 pm: Registration @ Huronview Farm 77722 London Rd, Clinton, ON N0M 1L0 behind Huron County Health Unit (Map on heartlandsoilcrop.org/events)
4 pm: Thoughts From the Field – Strip Tillage, Soil Fertility, and Variable Rate Fertilizer
- Intro to Strip Tillage – Michelle Baker, Delta Power Equipment
- Soil Fertility Management in Strip Tillage Program – Ben Rosser, OMAFRA
- Thoughts on Corn Starter Programs on a Dry Year – Ben Rosser OMAFRA
- Intro to Variable Rate Fertilizer – Thompson’s Agronomy Team
5:15 pm: Tour of Thompson’s Hensall Facility. This tour will focus on seed cleaning and processing.
6:15 pm: Relay Cropping – Success or Failure? With Rick Kootsra @ Rick’s Farm (address TBD). Learn how Rick modified his equipment and management program to accommodate relay crop soybeans into his wheat crop. Did it work? You’ll find out!
7 pm: BBQ @ back at Huronview Farm
Advanced registration will be $10/person – please email sharondevine@tcc.on.ca to register. Registration at the door will be $15/person.
Upcoming workshops
Growing Your Farm Profits
Orangeville, September 10 & 17
Ripley, September 17 & 24
Mount Forest, September 19 & 26 Environmental Farm Plan
Wingham, September 6 & 13
Orangeville, September 11 & 18
St. Marys, September 18 & 25
Interested producers can call Lois Sinclair for more information or to register 519.955.3139
Farmers can apply now for cover crop payment
Cover crops grown over the winter on agricultural fields are just the right thing to do, according to some local producers who participated in a Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) program and received an incentive payment last year.
Applications for the cover crop program can be submitted now for payment in spring 2019. The per-acre incentive is offered to applicants in Wellington, Brant, Haldimand and Dufferin counties, as well as Waterloo Region, through the GRCA’s Rural Water Quality Program (RWQP).
The benefits of cover crops are numerous — they can reduce erosion, build better soil structure and improve soil health. Cover crops also help reduce runoff into local waterways, ultimately improving overall watershed health.
“Cover crops are a simple and cost-effective way of feeding the soil and minimizing erosion,” said Steve Lake of Elora. “With cover crops and no-till practices, we are protecting local water quality and building a more resilient soil for the future.”
Other producers agree. Over the last five years, more than 235 producers in Brant, Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin and Haldimand counties received the cover crop incentive payment. Priority is given to erosion-prone fields next to watercourses or wetlands and areas that are susceptible to wind erosion. Fields that are tile drained or in wellhead protection areas are also considered. Cover crops that are used solely for cover – not harvested or grazed - are eligible under the program.
The incentive rate varies by county program and is between $20 and $100 per acre. The municipalities fund the Rural Water Quality Program and the GRCA administers this initiative on their behalf.
More information is available about the cover crop program by contacting the GRCA at ruralwater@grandriver.ca or calling 519-621-2761 and asking to speak to a conservation specialist.
To learn more about the broad range of services and grants that are available through the GRCA, including forestry and environmental programs, please visit www.grandriver.ca/ruralwater.
Upcoming Heartland events
Waterloo Summer Meeting, September 19 Wellington AGM - Save the date! November 30 |