Canada-Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan - Ontario Cover Crop Action PlanHealthy Soil Lowers Erosion and Keeps Lake Erie Clean

2019 and Beyond

The mainstream adoption of cover crops onfarms in Ontario and farmer-knowledge of thevalue of planting cover crops has increasedsince the establishment of the Ontario CoverCrop Strategy. This document provides thedetails of the Cover Crop Action Plan tofacilitate the adoption of cover crops onOntario farms.

Facilitating the adoption of cover crops onfarms in Ontario is an important part of theCanada-Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan;Partnering on Achieving Phosphorus LoadingReductions to Lake Erie from CanadianSources. Cover crops can play an importantrole in stabilizing soil during the non-growingseason and help to reduce the risk of erosionand nutrient loss.

In 2016, when farmers were looking for waysto address the issue of phosphorus in LakeErie, a collaboration of farm stakeholders,under the name the Ontario Cover CropSteering Committee, came together to figureout a strategy to facilitate the adoption ofcover crops on farms in Ontario. The strategywas called the Ontario Cover Crops Strategy

and focused on four key areas: Research,Policy and Programs, Communication,and Champions.

This document outlines the work that hasbeen completed to encourage and facilitatethe adoption of cover crops on farms inOntario. Cover crops have been a tool thatfarmers have used for more than a hundredyears. Recently, there has been a resurgenceof interest in the value of cover crops byearly-adopters. The Cover Crop Action Planhas been built upon the momentum that wasoccurring in the countryside for plantingcover crops. The Cover Crop SteeringCommittee has worked collaboratively tocreate action in the following areas outlinedin the Ontario Cover Crop Strategy and putin place permanent processes for continuingthe momentum. Protecting the environmentis an important part of Grain Farmers ofOntario’s strategic plan. Leading theimplementation of the Cover Crop Strategywas an important initiative to address theissue of phosphorus in Lake Erie in additionto the commitment to implement the 4RNutrient Management program.

Ontario Cover Crop SteeringCommittee MembersCertified Crop Advisor Association (CCA),Conservation Ontario, Grain Farmers ofOntario, Innovative Farmers Associationof Ontario (IFAO), Ontario Agri-BusinessAssociation (OABA), Ontario Federationof Agriculture (OFA), Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers Association (OFVGA),Ontario Soil and Crop ImprovementAssociation (OSCIA), Upper Thames RiverConservation AuthorityCommittee Resource; Ontario Ministryof Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs(OMAFRA)

An Action Planwith momentum

The Cover Crops Action Plan has built within it evergreen activities that

will renew interest in cover crops withinits Steering Committee membership. TheCover Crops Steering Committee will meetperiodically to check in on the progress

of these activities within the ActionPlan until cover crops become

the mainstay.

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Research on how different cover crop species fair on Ontariofarms and best agronomic practices for planting cover crops

Access to current research is essential forfarmers as they plan out their annual croppingstrategy. The Cover Crop Steering Committee’sResearch pillar focuses on making sure thatcurrent credible research is available in aformat that farmers can use by implementingthe following:

Actions includedA Prioritizing the farmer’s applied research

needs that address the common challengesfaced in cover crop adoption

B The development of a baseline measurementtool to gather data, advocate for cover cropresearch funding that supports partnerships

By leveraging and optimizing the researchprioritization processes that already existedwithin the Grain Farmers of Ontario structureas well as committee member organizations,the Cover Crop Research Sub-Committeeensured there was emphasis by all committeemembers to prioritize cover crop research.This research will be shared with farmersvia the Midwest Cover Crop Decision Tool.Going forward, current and newly publishedresearch will be reviewed by the Ontario CoverCrop Steering Committee Research Sub-Committee to ensure that it remains relevantto Ontario farmers.

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Research

Policy andPrograms

Communication

Champions

Public policy can play a key role in promotingcover crop adoption as part of a systemsapproach. Funding for technical assistanceand research are an important pillar of theCover Crop Strategy in order to encourage theadoption of cover crops on farm.

Actions includedA Informing policy makers and program staff

about on-farm challengesB Working with government and other funders

to ensure the design, administration anddelivery of programs encourages farmparticipation and uses communicationmethods to reach a large number of farmers

C Recommending that funding programssupport farmers who already plant cover crops

D Linking funding programs to on-farm datacollection from program participants

The activities of the Cover Crop SteeringCommittee (including research, farmerfeedback and program feedback) promoteda dialogue between farmers, government,and program delivery organizations on thevalue of public policy and programs that

support adoption of cover crops by farmers.Indicators from programs that have beendelivered, such as federally and provinciallyfunded programs and conservation authorityrural/clean water programs are that covercrops are a very important BMP to reducephosphorous (and other nutrients) runoff in theLake Erie Basin. Some CAs (eg. Grand Riverand Kettle Creek CAs) deliver cover cropincentives through rural water/clean waterprograms. The Grand River CA offers theseincentives through 5 municipal rural waterquality programs. Uptake remains consistentlyhigh and the Grand River CA staff work withabout 60 new producers each year.Continuation of cost-share programming forthe implementation and adoption of ongoingcover crops with Conservation Authorities andthe Ontario Soil and Crop ImprovementAssociation to deliver these programs tofarmers should continue as demand dictates.Agricorp has made changes to the farmerpaid new forage seeding insurance plan toinclude more species. This program shouldcontinue as demand dictates as well.

The Midwest Cover CropDecision ToolThis is seen as a credible source forapplied research and is widely used byfarmers in Ontario. Farmers can tailortheir search by location of their farm, soiltype, and objective for planting a covercrop and gain a wide variety of usefulinformation for planting various covercrops. This web-based tool is accessibleto all farmers in Ontario and helps toassist farmers in selecting cover crops toinclude in-field crop and vegetable rotations.In addition to the applied research, thistool includes literature, research resultsfrom North America, and on-farmexperience and practical knowledge.

Here is a link to the toolhttp://mccc.msu.edu/covercroptool/covercroptool.php

Policy and Programs that encourage farmers to plant cover crops2

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Communicating the value of cover crops and tips for successfulcover crops

Communication is a key element to themainstream adoption of cover crops byfarmers and an important pillar of the CoverCrop Strategy. Communication priorities includethe promotion of research, the value of covercrops to farmers, and the need for farmers to dotheir part to protect the Great Lakes from thepotential for off-farm phosphorus movement.

Actions includedA Developing a communication strategy with

consistent messaging, that involves allSteering Committee partners, with outreachto their farmer membership and beyond

B Creating a web portal independent of anyone organization as a one-stop place forgood, reliable information on cover cropsin Ontario

C Creating a strategy for outreach activities

The Cover Crop Communications Strategyincludes the creation and promotion ofvideos showing farmers talking to otherfarmers about the importance of plantingcover crops to address the phosphorus issuein Lake Erie; an evergreen editorial schedulefor communications to farmers was establishedputting an emphasis on March and Augustas key dates to communicate to farmers asthey can be making key cropping decisionsat those times of year; and cover cropinformation sharing by experts and peers wasdelivered through a variety of forums duringthe farm show season at farmer focusededucation events (such as the South WestAg Conference) and during on-farmdemonstrations in the summer months atlocal farm meetings (including Ontario Soiland Crop workshops). Grain Farmers of Ontario

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There is strong evidence that the best wayto get farmers to try new innovations is forthem to get information from their peers. TheCover Crop Steering Committee put a specialemphasis on peer-to-peer communicationsby establishing a Champions pillar.

Actions includedA Source funding support for champions to

cover expenses incurred in promoting covercrop adoption

B Support funding for the Ontario Soil Networkinitiative to continue

C Having downloadable presentation andevent templates available on the web portalfor use by speakers and champions

The Ontario Soil Network, a member of theCover Crop Steering Committee, has anestablished Champions program that supportspeer-to-peer sharing of best managementpractices and a historical commitment toeducation on the adoption of cover crops.

The Cover Crops Steering Committeemembers provided support for the OntarioSoil Network in Ontario by supporting anapplication to the Canadian AgriculturePartnership for the expansion of theservices provided by the network.Partnership funding was granted, and theexpansion of the network will mean afocused implementation of efforts on the keycomponents already defined in the Ontario

Farmer Champions to promote and share cover crop best practicespeer-to-peer4

delivered a webinar on cover crops and theCertified Crop Advisor Association delivereda conference on soil and water.

Cover Crop Strategy and ultimately drivegreater interest in cover crops in Ontario withall frontline stakeholders including: farmers,land owners, agronomists and extension staff,and agri-retailers.

Check out the network’s website to see whatpeer-to-peer activities these Cover CropChampions are deliveringhttps://www.ontariosoil.net/

Photo courtesy Xueming Yang, AAFC.

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