Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Association receives government funding for tile drainage

Mar 13, 2018

Ontario invests more than $990,000 into the project

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

Northern Ontario’s agricultural community is receiving nearly $1 million in government funding to help increase farm productivity.

The provincial government is investing $994,080 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) for this work. The Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Association will lead the project, which is designed to install drainage systems on 1,390 acres of land and clear another 354 acres for agricultural production across 23 farms.

“The support from Ontario for this program recognizes the potential of farmers to expand contributions to the local economy and communities through increased food production and employment opportunities,” Kevin Belluz, president of the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Association, said in a release yesterday.

Regional farmers are pleased with the government’s confidence in their communities.

Since 2013, Ontario has invested more than $621 million through the NOHFC, which helps farmers produce crops in a unique part of the province.

“It’s awesome to hear that we’ll have more useable land in the area,” Henriet DeBruin, a greenhouse grower and executive director of the Thunder Bay Federation of Agriculture, told Farms.com today. “Technology is getting better and, with tile drainage, farmers are going to be able to grow better crops. It’s a win-win situation for the research centre and the farmers in the area.”

The tile drainage investment in Thunder Bay aligns with the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Earlier this winter, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced $340,000 of funding for the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association to develop a tool for farmers. The tool lets growers use satellite data of field crops under different climactic conditions to show how they could benefit from installing tile drainage.

Top photo: SimplyCreativePhotography/iStock/Getty Images Plus

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.