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Making Progress to Protect Farmland

For many, November is a time for reflection on all that has happened over the year. This can certainly be said for the Ontario Farmland Trust, as we reflect on the amazing progress that we have made to protect Ontario farmland. OFT has been working with farmers across southern Ontario – from Bruce County to Frontenac County – to protect their farmland with conservation easement agreements. 

Here are just a few example:

Bruce County – We finalized the donation of a 37-acre farm to OFT in the Tiverton area! This farm consists of pastureland, hay fields, mature trees, a river, a stream, and a farmhouse and outbuildings. It is home to Barn Swallows, Monarch butterflies, and Butternut trees. This truly generous donation will allow OFT to offer alternative ways into farming to local new, young, and equity-deserving farmers, which is new and exciting for both the community and OFT!

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Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday



Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.