ONFARM program 

The four-year On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) program wrapped up in February. This program supported soil health and water quality research across Ontario and included work by the Upper Thames Region Conservation Authority (UTRCA).  

This project supported year-round water quality monitoring in the Upper Medway and North Kettle watersheds.  

Water quality monitoring was completed at edge-of-field sites to better understand the impact of agricultural best management practices on water quality. In addition, UTRCA staff worked with the University of Guelph to collect information on land management practices to better predict how agricultural best management practices (BMPs) influence the amount and movement of runoff, nutrients, and sediment.  

This program allowed the UTRCA to lengthen and strengthen the datasets at the subwatershed outlets, allowing staff to continue to have discussions around soil health and water quality practices.  

The ONFARM program was funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative. 

Year-round event-based sampling at subwatershed stations allows staff to calculate nutrient loading and streamflow.