Cattle mill in the knee-deep grasslands within the Grey-Dufferin Community Pasture in mid-June 2025. Photo: Beef Farmers of Ontario

Ontario cattle groups pioneer community pastures through first-ever public land lease agreements

New leasing model in Lambton County transforms conservation lands into sustainable grazing pastures with long-term environmental and farm sector benefits.

Lambton Cattlemen’s Association and Grey-Dufferin Community Pasture veer off the beaten path into conservation authority and municipal land leases to develop new community pastures within the St. Clair River Conservation Authority and Dufferin County.

Land trusts empower landowners while preserving farmland

Land trusts empower landowners while preserving farmland

Ontario Farmland Trust establishes groundwork for a provincial agricultural land reserve

The Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT) easements protect agricultural land, creating a reserve that remains impervious to provincial policy changes and development pressures, while bolstering food production and sustainable farming.






The people that shape us

My late grandfather helped me see beyond the human world, and I hope to continue his legacy

I’m keenly interested in environmental issues and the role farmers could play in generating positive change. It drives what I cover as a journalist, what stories I share with friends and family, and what I’ve decided to research in-depth as a Nuffield Scholar.

Renny Grilz (centre), resource management officer for Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatchewan and veteran agrologist, says “farmers probably educate the conservationists more than the other way around. It helps build those relationships, that we can then use to generate more interest in conservation.”

Burnout a problem in conservation sector

Like farmers, people in the environmental profession face many uphill battles that can affect their health

Mental health challenges are a regular topic of discussion in the agriculture sector, but farmers are not the only workers with high rates of anxiety, depression and other forms of mental illness. Why it matters: People in the environmental sector face many challenges to their work and purpose. For those working in the environmental sector, […] Read more


The Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary has been in operation since 1904.

Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary gets creative with income streams

Finding new ways to support conservation and education

Limited resources are a perennial problem for conservation organizations. At the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a non-profit conservation park in Essex County, staff and volunteers are trying to diversify income streams in an effort to improve the area’s ecology, and help people better connect with the natural landscape. Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary was […] Read more

Essex County farmers Clayton Armstrong and Susan Iatonna are recipients of the 2023 Conservation Farm Award.

Lakeshore-area farmers receive conservation award

Couple awarded for their efforts to preserve soil and water

Lakeshore-area farm couple Clayton Armstrong and Susan Iatonna are recipients of the latest Essex Region Conservation Authority Conservation Farm Award. Armstrong and Iatonna were lauded for a number of actions in pursuit of greener production. The award is given to farmers who display a range of environmentally minded farming practices. The award was presented at […] Read more