A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm.
For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA website: www.ontario.ca/omafra.
DO YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR CROP YIELDS BY 10 TO 15 PER CENT? PLANT A WINDBREAK!
Did you know that windbreaks increase crop yield, improve soil moisture distribution over fields and reduce soil loss?
They also:
– provide shade and shelter for livestock;
– minimize spray drift and odours;
– decrease the amount of snow drift onto driveways and roads;
– enhance biodiversity and wildlife habitat; and
– can generate alternative income.
Windbreaks have many benefits for farmers and rural landowners, and more than make up for the loss of land they use. Fall is the perfect time to start planning for a spring planting. Here are some things you need to do to get started:
Do a site assessment where the windbreak will be planted.
Decide on the tree species you would like to plant based on why you’re planting a windbreak and your site’s characteristics.
Develop a planting plan.
Confirm the number of trees you’ll need and place your tree order. You can order trees through nurseries and some conservation authorities.
Prepare the site by marking out in-row and between-row tree spacing, tilling, mulching, mowing and/or band or spot spraying, and placing black plastic mulch over the area to control weeds.
OMAFRA has many resources to help you with windbreak planning. Visit our website – http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/environment/facts/windbreaks.htm to watch our four windbreak videos on planning, planting, maintenance and windbreak successes.
Our free Best Management Practices book, Establishing Tree Cover – http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/environment/bmp/treecov.htm provides a step-by-step guide for planning and planting a windbreak.
For more information about windbreaks and for help with planning a windbreak, contact your local conservation authority – http://www.conservation-ontario.on.ca/about-us/conservation-authorities/ca-contact-list.
For more information about OMAFRA’s resources, contact OMAFRA’s Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
GLASI FARMLAND HEALTH INCENTIVE PROGRAM UPDATED FUNDING LEVELS AND EXTENDED DEADLINE
We’ve made a great program even better—and extended the deadline! The Farmland Health Incentive Program is now open until Feb. 1, giving farmers more time to complete more great projects. But we didn’t stop there.
The Farmland Health Incentive Program now also features a new “Pre Check-Up” funding level. Designed for farmers who are planning to complete a Farmland Health Check-Up over the winter, this new level makes it possible to apply for cost-share prior to having completed a Check-Up. In addition to an entirely new level, funding caps of levels one and two have been increased to $25,000—now matching the cap for level 3!
The Farmland Health Check-Up is a program to help farmers understand their individual farm’s soil and pollinator health challenges and identifies Best Management Practices (BMPs) that would be beneficial to their operations through working with a Certified Crop Advisor free of charge. Through the Farmland Health Incentive Program, farmers are able to access funding for implementing BMPs identified during their Check-Up.
With these notable enhancements to the program, there’s never been a better time to apply to the Farmland Health Incentive Program.
For more information on the Program or on completing a Farmland Health Check-Up, visit www.ontariosoilcrop.org
