The government of Ontario is committing continued funding in hopes of making farm operations more environmentally sustainable.
Beginning in January 2020, applications will be accepted for a new intake of cost-share funding under the Lake Erie Agriculture Demonstrating Sustainability (LEADS) initiative. The goal is to improve water quality in Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds by reducing the amount of phosphorus that enters connecting waterways.
The funding announcement came a few hours before the Kent Federation of Agriculture (KFA) held its annual meeting in Ridgetown on Wednesday afternoon. Outgoing KFA President Ron Faubert told Blackburn News that the government's ongoing commitment towards environmental sustainability is welcome news.
"That's something that's been ongoing in the agriculture industry since the early 90s with the Environmental Farm Plan. This is sort of a continuation of that," explained Faubert. "It's always more beneficial to offer a carrot to get things moving forward than enforcement or laws. They recognize this and this is what they're trying to do here. They're trying to offer some support."
Examples of projects eligible for support under LEADS include modifying equipment to improve management of nutrients and to reduce soil compaction, planting overwintering cover crops to improve soil health and reduce soil erosion losses, planting vegetation and trees to provide a buffer between agricultural operations and waterways, retiring environmentally fragile lands from agricultural production and planting permanent vegetative cover to reduce the loss of soil and nutrients.
Since 2018, more than 560 projects have been approved under the LEADS initiative.
Faubert said the federation tries to take advantage of any funding opportunities that are provided.
"We appreciate it," he said. "We're glad to work with them and promote it through the Kent Federation of Agriculture. That's one of our objectives. When we see this type of program come forward, we try to make sure our members are using it effectively and that we're really promoting it."
During the meeting, another possible form of government support was a hot topic. Earlier this month, The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, or Bill 156, was brought forward by Ontario Agricultural Minister Ernie Hardeman in an effort to address concerns made by farmers about their safety. If it passes, additional protection would be put in place for those who work on farms. The bill will also require anyone wishing to stage a protest on farm property to obtain prior consent and fines would be increased for anyone caught trespassing on farmland.
During the annual meeting, federation members praised Bill 156 and encouraged each other to get the word about it.
-With files from Mark Brown
