ONFARM Program Continues Through 2028 

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) is supporting the second phase of the On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program. As part of this initiative, the UTRCA is collecting year-round water samples to understand the effects of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) on water quality.

The water quality component of the ONFARM program specifically examines cover cropping, controlled drainage, fertilizer application, and/or tillage impacts across multiple sites. Additionally, this data will be paired with long-term soil health trials, facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of BMP impacts at the edge-of-field scale.

The program is funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative. ONFARM was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and is delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association. The project is supported in collaboration with the Ausable Bayfield and Lower Thames Conservation Authorities, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Soil Resource Group and farm cooperators. 

For more information, visit the Ontario Soil Crop website.