Stewardship Staff and Local Farmers Establish Field Trials and Demonstration Sites for Best Management Practices
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Stewardship Services have wrapped up projects for the most recent funding cycle of the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA).
Supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), this two-year funding agreement aimed to further our understanding of the effects of various agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on rural water quality and ecosystem health in the Upper Thames River watershed. This was just the latest of several COA agreements that the UTRCA has undertaken over the years, and the extent of projects has greatly expanded in that time.
Stewardship staff worked with farmers across the watershed to establish demonstration sites and field trials to showcase several BMP applications and be able to monitor the effects of these practices during the growing and non-growing seasons. Details and results from the trials and demonstration projects have been shared in videos and fact sheets, on social media, as well as at knowledge transfer events such as the annual Rural Landowner Workshops and field tours.
By promoting the many benefits of these practices, we hope to encourage greater uptake within our watershed. Check out some of the projects we’ve been working on over the last two years:
Temporary Land Retirement to Improve Understanding of Soil Health Benefits
The UTRCA is working with landowners to monitor the effects of temporary land retirements on steeply sloped, degrading agricultural land.
Cover Crops Field Trial: Investigating Nitrogen Cycling Weed Suppression, Yield Production, and More
The UTRCA is working with landowners to monitor the effects of cover crops using check strip trials.
Thorndale Demonstration Farm: Impacts of Contoured Controlled Drainage on Water Quality and Storm Water Retention at the Field Scale
The UTRCA is studying the effects of contoured controlled drainage and conventional tile drainage on nutrient and sediment loss as well as flood retention during storm events. Explore the fact sheet.
Saturated Buffers as an Agricultural Best Management Practice
The UTRCA is investigating the role of this edge of field conservation practice for improving water quantity and quality at two saturated buffer features. Check out the fact sheet to learn more.