Give Your Fields a Free Health Check-Up: Here’s How

Nov 17, 2025
By Farms.com

Ontario farmers can now access a no-cost Farmland Health Check-Up to boost soil health, reduce erosion, and improve productivity.

The Farmland Health Check-Up (FHCU) is a free program designed to help Ontario farmers take a closer look at their fields and identify opportunities for improvement. Working alongside a Certified Crop Advisor or Professional Agrologist, you’ll assess key factors like erosion, soil organic matter, and nutrient use.

This hands-on, field-based assessment covers:

Water, wind, and tillage erosion
Subsurface compaction
Soil life and chemistry
Phosphorus and nitrogen management
Pollinator health

The process uses a digital workbook to evaluate three fields, establish baseline conditions, and set targets for improvement. It’s a practical tool for long-term planning and implementing best management practices where they matter most.

No sign-up required. No eligibility screening. Simply connect with an advisor and start your free assessment.

For more information, or to give your field a free check-up, visit the Ontario Farmland Health Check-up website.

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.