Chatham-Kent – The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) is pleased to announce that the watershed Soil Health Program will return for the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons! In its first year, the Soil Health Program contributed approximately $94,000.00 to watershed farm businesses that supported the planting of 8,500 acres of cover crops.
The objective of the Conservation Authority wide initiative is to support farmers interested in improving their soil health by providing financial incentives to offset the cost of planting cover crops. Planting cover crops helps protect and build soil when it is most susceptible to extreme weather conditions during the fall, winter, and spring. Cover crops can reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen that enters the Thames River and Lake Erie watershed. Furthermore, cover crops have the capacity to sequester carbon and can contribute to achieving Canada’s targets of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to combat climate change.
The program will offer eligible watershed farmers $15.00/acre to plant cover crops in the Lower Thames Valley watershed. A unique aspect of the new program is that it offers farmers the option to apply for multiple years of funding for cover plantings occurring in 2022 and 2023. This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, a Government of Canada Department of Environment and Climate Change program, in partnership with Conservation Ontario.
The LTVCA Soil Health Program is designed to be an easy, straight-forward process for any farm business interested in planting cover crops. To learn more about the program and to apply for funding, visit the LTVCA’s program webpage: https://www.lowerthames-conservation.on.ca/conservation-services/agriculture/ or contact the LTVCA Agricultural Program Coordinator, [email protected]. Program applications can be downloaded via the program webpage and submitted to LTVCA via email ([email protected]), fax (519-352-3435), or can be dropped off or mailed to the LTVCA Chatham Administration Office. All eligible projects will be awarded funds on a merit based and first come first served basis. Limited funding is available, so we encourage interested farmers to apply as soon as possible!
“Sustaining and improving soil health is one of the most important objectives the LTVCA can support to address watershed environmental challenges. Improvements to watershed soil health can help retain nutrients on fields, can sequester carbon, and can increase our landscapes capacity to hold water and reduce downstream flooding. Watershed management is a systems approach and the LTVCA recognizes that soil is the fundamental basis of this system. This new program will support some of the practices that farmers have been implementing to protect and regenerate watershed soils”, shares program coordinator Colin Little.
For more program information or inquiries contact:
Colin Little – LTVCA Agricultural Program Coordinator
519-354-7310 ext. 231
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