Representatives from the Ontario Farmland Trust hopes a new Bruce County project will serve as a model for conservation and extension work elsewhere in the province.
Why it matters: Acquisition of the property will help provide education and outreach on best management practices.
In partnership with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, the Ontario Farmland Trust has announced plans to develop a demonstration farm on a 37-acre Tiverton-area property donated to the Trust. The property borders the Little Sauble River, which flows into Inverhuron Provincial Park and Lake Huron, providing what the Trust describes as a unique opportunity to pilot innovative best management practices to enhance soil quality, waterway health, and the overall ecological sustainability of the Great Lakes Basin.
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The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness provided $514,000 for the project from its 2025–2027 Canada-Ontario Agreement and Lake Simcoe Program. Huronview Demonstration Farm, as well as the Huron County Soil and Crop Improvement Association, are also partnering to get the project up and running.
A July 11 press release from the Ontario Farmland Trust says the next two years will see the integration of environmental monitoring, farmer engagement, and applied research. Martin Straathof, the organization’s executive director said in the release the project is “about creating a model for how farmland conservation and stewardship can actively contribute to water quality improvements and soil health across the sector to achieve the long-term viability of Ontario’s agricultural landscape.”
Speaking to Farmtario on July 21, Straathof adds a number of things aligned to provide an opportunity to establish the project, including the property’s ideal location on the Little Sauble River and an estate agreement, which included clauses stipulating the property was leveraged to “continue providing community benefit.”
This coincides with what Straathof says is a clear desire for more extension services.
“There was lots of discussion at this past year’s Farmland Trust forum of the need for extension work … A big component of this project we propose would assist with that. We would be able to fill that kind of need through the property and this grant program,” he says.
The $514,000 investment has been provided to get the demonstration farm established. What best management practices will be demonstrated are to be determined through consultation with partnering organizations, as well as the wider agricultural and conservation community, though Straathof says they will avoid replicating work already occurring at Huronview.
The Trust will be hiring someone in September to head the consultation period.
Regardless of what the demonstration farm features, the wider project includes a comprehensive education and outreach strategy, with plans for field days, peer-to-peer learning events, and new educational materials to reduce adoption barriers for whatever best management practices are of focus.
“We don’t want this to be a one-and-done scenario,” Straathof says. “Most of the costs are upfront to get it established.”
Straathof sees an additional opportunity — the development of a model which could be applied to other properties donated to the Trust. This could be particularly valuable as the organization has seen a “substantial increase” in inquiries from landowners in recent months.
“We had not had a land donation for 20 years. Then we had one donation, and now we’re up to 12. To me that is a substantial increase,” Straathof says.
