National Soil Conservation Week

Soil is one of our most valuable non-renewable resource. We have a finite supply, and we are lucky to have a significant amount of Canada’s agricultural soil right here in Ontario.

At our annual Farmland Forum, we heard about the importance of this precious resource, some of the science behind what makes soil so valuable, and we also heard about some of the conservation efforts being taken to protect Ontario’s soil for future generations.

In light of National Soil Conservation Week, running from April 16^th to 22^nd this year, we wanted to hear about some of the amazing soil focused work we heard about at the Forum!

We started the day by hearing from Senator Rob Black about his involvement in the Agriculture and Forestry Committee and the work that they are doing to promote soil health in agriculture. It was noted that the 1984 Senate Study Soil At Risk: Canada’s Eroding Future is one of the most requested Senate studies to date, and that work on a new soil study has started with the hopes of providing new data to support soil conservation in Canada.

Senator Black noted that “the future of this country is intrinsically linked to the health of its ecosystem, which itself hinges on soil health.”

Not only will the new study support soil health, but the findings will also work to address food security in Canada and around the world within the context of agricultural production and soil. Other issues they will explore in the development of this study will include erosion, the loss of soil carbon, economic barriers for farmers, lack of data about soils and lack of data sharing, and lost revenue due to lost crop yields.

We are excited to hear more about this study in the future, as we are sure that it will have a significant impact on soil and farmland conservation efforts in Ontario!