The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has identified water stewardship as one of the key policy areas that is essential for moving the agricultural sector forward. In the past, the CFFO had a major role in the establishment of the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). Water protection was a significant part of the EFP. The CFFO is also involved in the Great Lakes Protection Act and our members are involved with local watershed improvement programs.
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One of the local programs the Simcoe County Christian Farmers Association has been involved since its inception is the Nottawasaga Watershed Improvement Program, also known as N-WIP. Its main purpose is watershed improvement. The N-WIP deals with revitalizing streams and rivers, with the goal to make these streams and rivers a healthy habitat for fish and other wildlife. The majority of the land around these waterways is owned by farmers. This is one of the reasons why the CFFO is associated with N-WIP, another reason is because of the program’s commitment to land and water stewardship. Waterways that have been worked on include the Willow, the Black Ash Creek and Pretty as well as the Nottawasaga River.
In 2014, N-WIP helped a farm in Stayner put in a stream crossing over the Lamont Creek and built a livestock exclusion fencing. They then rebuilt the stream banks and added cover to repair the erosion that had taken place. The N-WIP has worked with other farmers in the area to install livestock exclusion fencing and has worked on stream reconstruction on farmers’ properties.
The CFFO supports these types of programs and projects because it recognizes that agriculture has a role to play in solving the problem of water pollution in Ontario’s waterways and the Great Lakes. We believe that to overcome the problem, we need to work in a cooperative spirit to improve farming practices in order to decrease water pollution without preventing normal farming practices. Livestock retention fencing, proper fertilizer application and buffer zones will all contribute to keeping our water clean.
Water stewardship will continue to be an area of concern for agriculture for years to come and therefore the CFFO is pleased to work with N-WIP and other programs. We believe that protecting and managing our natural resources is vital to the future of agriculture and for the next generation of farmers.
