Investment Seeks to Help Ontario Farmers with Sustainable Water Management Solutions

Jan 07, 2013

Joint Government Investment Seeks to Assist On-Farm Sustainable Water Management Solutions

Finding innovative technologies and solutions for on-farm water conservation has been made a priority with the most recent joint government announcement made by the government(s) of Canada and Ontario.

"Our government is committed to helping farmers adapt to current economic challenges and to make their businesses more efficient to boost our economy, now and for the long term," said Minister Ritz. "This Economic Action Plan investment will help Ontario farmers make better use of available water supplies and irrigation systems, and ultimately lower their costs."

The joint funding initiatives of up to $1.5 million will be allocated to the Water Resource Adaption and Management Initiative and up to $1 million will be made available through Farm & Food Care Ontario. Some of the funding will be used to draft new guidelines for on-farm draining design and other resources such as benchmarking studies on water use and efficiency and also educating farmers about best management practices for on-farm water efficiency.

"Farm & Food Care Ontario is pleased to be involved in this environmental initiative on behalf of our members. This initiative will provide practical examples of water conservation technologies that can help farmers adopt their water use practices to the impacts of climate change. Given that 2012 was a dry year across most of the province, this project has even greater relevance to Ontario farmers," said John Maaskant, Chair, Farm & Food Care Ontario.

Proposals are being accepted under the following two components:

•Projects and research studies that focus on innovative water conservation, efficiency equipment, technologies and practices.
•The communication component of project results through workshops, presentations and educational materials that will showcase technologies that can be used for water conservation on farm.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.