Protecting species at risk on the farm

May 03, 2018

OSCIA offers funding for producers to implement projects on their farms

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Ontario producers have another chance to enhance habitats for species at risk on their farms.

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has opened the 2018 applications for cost-shared funding through the Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program (SARFIP).

This program helps farmers undertake projects that benefit their operations as well as species at risk, such as bobolinks, monarch butterflies, rusty-patched bumble bees and spiny softshell turtles, Tuesday’s OSCIA release said.

In addition to contributing to biodiversity and health ecosystems in the province, species at risk provide ecological services to farmers, Maria Ramirez Giraldo, programs analyst with the OSCIA, told Farms.com today.

“Some species can control the populations of rodents that may become pests to producers and other (species) provide essential pollination services,” she said.

By enhancing habitat for these species, producers can improve “water quality, soil health and livestock wellbeing,” she added.

“For example, planting trees can provide shade for livestock and reduce wind and water erosion.”

To help these species, producers can plant native trees and grasslands, improve stream crossings, remove invasive species, implement erosion control structures and build cross fencing for rotational grazing systems.

OSCIA offers varying amounts of assistance under SARFIP. It will share 65 per cent of the cost for projects that directly benefit species at risk. The association will cover an additional 10 per cent of costs if producers enroll in SAR-Watch, which is “a monitoring program that measures the impact of SARFIP projects on the ground for species at risk,” the release said.

For plans that provide indirect benefits to species at risk, OSCIA will cover 50 per cent of the cost.

Regardless of the type of project, each farm business can access up to $20,000 in funding under this program.

In order to be eligible for this support, farmers must have completed Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) within the past five years. They also must begin and complete the projects between April 1 and Dec. 14 this year, the OSCIA website states.

For more information on SARFIP, click here.

UPDATED MAY 7, 2018

Rich Phalin / iStock / Getty Images Plus photo

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.