OMAFRA's Great Lakes Program (OGLP)Projects Funded
About OMAFRA'S Great Lakes ProgramThe most recent Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' (OMAFRA) Great Lakes Program (OGLP) ran from 2007 to 2010. Under the OGLP, the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA) was established between the Ministry of the Environment, OMAFRA, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and six federal departments:
Under COA, OMAFRA helps Ontario farmers to restore, protect and conserve Great Lakes water quality and quantity through efforts such as nutrient management and environmental farm planning, as well as through their own initiatives. OMAFRA's Great Lakes Program has had an overwhelming response. Over 80 proposals were submitted for review in 2007 that addressed agri-environmental issues in the Great Lakes Basin. Twenty-eight projects were approved, representing a commitment of almost $2.2 million over three years. Each project was aligned with certain priority goals and commitments under the 2007 COA. Many of the projects were multi-year and ranged in value from $2,500 to $300,000. In 2010, OMAFRA launched the Watershed Based Best Management Practice Evaluation (WBBE) Program. WBBE supports COA commitments to improve the adoption and effectiveness of agricultural non-point source stewardship actions in one or two key areas in the Erie and Huron basins. Twelve proposals were received to the WBBE Program and two projects have been selected for funding Harmful Pollutants (COA Annex 2)Annex 2 addresses both the past and on-going sources of pollution in the Great Lakes Basin, focusing on principles of pollution reduction and prevention to achieve the vision of a healthy, prosperous and sustainable Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. Annex 2 takes a substance and/or sector approach to reduce and prevent releases throughout the basin and seeks to virtually eliminate persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances. Of the three goals in this Annex, OMAFRA contributes primarily to:
Projects FundedAir Quality in Rural Ontario WorkshopA one-day workshop on air quality in rural Ontario was held to raise awareness and understanding of air quality as an issue on Ontario farms within the Great Lakes region. Learn more Collection and Disposal of Unwanted/Expired Agricultural Pesticides and Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in the Great Lakes Basin Feasibility study for instituting a sustainable waste management program for unwanted agricultural pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Learn more Health and Environmental Aspects of Farming: A Practitioner's Course This project sought to transfer the Grower Pesticide Safety and Pesticide Vendor Certification Courses to an on-line learning format. This project also assembled information for e-learning modules for a new course in Health and the Environmental Aspects of Farming. Learn more Survey of Pesticide Use in Ontario, 2008 and Evaluation of the Relative Risk of Pesticide Use in 2008 This survey analysed changes in pesticide use and risk on agricultural crops within Ontario between 1983 and 2008, using data collected in 1983 as a baseline. Learn more Lake and Basin Sustainability (COA Annex 3)Annex 3 focuses on better stewardship of Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem aquatic resources and encourages the integration of these practices into the everyday activities of individuals and communities in the Great Lakes Basin. Annex 3 supports initiatives at different scales that directly promote the adoption and implementation of sustainable management practices and enhanced stewardship efforts as well as activities required to protect important biodiversity areas and to restore conditions at priority locations. Of the six goals in this Annex, OMAFRA contributes primarily to meet the following:
Projects FundedAgricultural Land Management and Water Quality Data Evaluation in Representative Agricultural Watersheds in the Grand River and Thames River Basins This study was initiated to monitor agricultural land use changes and associated water quality in two southern Ontario agricultural watersheds, the Canagagigue Creek Watershed (near Elmira), and the Nissouri Creek Watershed (near Embro). Learn more Agricultural Resource Inventory (AgRI) Mapping The AgRI mapping project has provided an extensive Geographic Information Systems (GIS) digital polygon framework and corresponding database for field-specific cropping and tillage system information in the Fairchild Creek Watershed (a tributary of the Grand River), Rondeau Bay Watershed (on the coast of Lake Erie) and coastal watersheds in central Huron County (between the Bayfield and Maitland Rivers) in the Lake Huron Basin. Learn more Best Management Practices for the Ontario Greenhouse and Container Nursery Industry to Protect Surface and Sub-surface Water Quality This project focused on identifying best management practices that were simple and cost effective and demonstrated different management options to recycle nutrients and water on-farms and evaluate their potential applicability to greenhouse and container nursery production systems. Learn more Big Creek Watershed Plan – Water Quantity, Drainage and Erosion Components The intent in developing a watershed plan was to identify and assess natural resources within the watershed, and to establish strategies for the protection or management of these features and processes under present conditions, and as land use and other changes occur over time. Learn more Developing New GIS Information for an Agricultural Landscape The headwaters region of the Maitland River was selected as a test site for a remote sensing methodology to efficiently collect agricultural resource inventory (AgRI) information. Learn more Development of a Planning Tool for the Restoration of Waterways in Ontario Agricultural Watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin This study evaluated the applicability of and adapted the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) developed for the State of Ohio as a design tool for stream assessments within southern Ontario. Learn more Effect of Climate Change on Soil Erosion, Soil Productivity and Drainable Water Quantity and Quality in the Ontario Great Lakes Basin Project modelled and evaluated the effect of climate change on soil quality (soil erosion and soil productivity), surface and subsurface drainable water quality, and stream water quality. Learn more Examination of Barriers and Benefits of Nutrient Management in Innisfil Creek Area This project determined current practices used by farmers for managing nutrient loss, researched the barriers to farmer adoption of other nutrient Best Management Practices (BMPs) and what behavioural changes would be associated with the successful adoption of these practices. Learn more Focus Group Statistics and Analysis from the 2007 Report: Attitudes of Great Lakes Residents and Policy Makers This project acquired data and analysis to highlight new public communications strategies to strengthen and expand OMAFRA's COA and Great Lakes overall efforts. Learn more Great Lakes Phosphorous Forum The Great Lakes Phosphorus Forum was organized to share relevant information and discuss non-point source phosphorus issues and losses from agricultural land in the Great Lakes Basin. Learn more Green Lands – Clean Waters: Enhancing Cover Crop Use in Ontario The project supported research into the use of cover crops after vegetables, soybeans and biomass removal. The project assisted with the development of the MidWest Cover Crop website and grower meetings were held to address and overcome barriers to cover crop adoption. Learn more Influence of Extreme Weather Events on Export of Bacteria, Nutrients, Water Colour and Mercury from Agricultural Lands and Wetlands Investigation and comparison of the influence of extreme weather on exports of nutrients, organic carbon, total suspended solids, bacteria and mercury from agricultural lands and wetlands within the Raisin River headwaters. Learn more Integrated Watershed Based Stewardship: Collaborative Environmental Farm Plan and Community Based Stewardship The project aimed to develop and test an evidence-based planning framework for collaborative, community-based watershed stewardship in Great Lakes watersheds of rural southern Ontario. Learn more Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Youth Summit in Huron County, Ontario The annual Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Youth Summits brought together senior high school students to learn about the Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Watershed Canadian Framework for Community Action and commit to action. Participants became Youth Ambassadors in their home communities. Learn more 9th Annual Grand River Watershed Water Forum Forum focused on the influence of the watersheds which drain into the Great Lakes and the impacts of these rivers upon water quality and quantity, with a particular emphasis on the Grand River and Lake Erie. Learn more Nutrient Retention, Nutrient Saturation and Climate - Predicting Nutrient Delivery by Agricultural Streams Development of a field-based tool to allow site-specific characterization of sediment nitrogen and phosphorus retention capacity within streams in watersheds characterized by agricultural nutrient loadings. This study investigated the effects of altered flow dynamics and changes in nutrient loading on stream sediment nutrient dynamics. Learn more Rondeau Bay Watershed Biogeochemical Cycling and Water Quality Modelling Project Prepared high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) derived from Light Detection and Ranging System (LiDAR) data and modelling results to inform the locating of potential nutrient source sites and mitigation strategies. The project also funded the co-ordination and implementation of nutrient and sediment Best Management Practices (BMPs) in field areas upland from constructed treatment ponds and explored community based social marketing approaches with the agricultural community for phosphorus reduction. Learn more Rural Urban Linkage – A High School Curriculum This project was undertaken to build awareness of agricultural best management practices at the secondary school level. By having stewardship ethic taught in the curriculum, the project contributed to improving public awareness regarding landowners and programs that support beneficial management practices and stewardship activities. Learn more SepticSmart! Understanding Your Home's Septic System Creation and distribution of 35,000 copies of a revised brochure on household septic systems entitled "SepticSmart". Learn more Sponsorship of 16th and 17th Annual International Conference on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River Ecosystem Public sharing of research on tributary impacts on water quality in the St. Lawrence River Great Lakes ecosystem. Learn more Watershed Based Best Management Practice Evaluation (WBBE) Program This program supports the COA extension commitment to enhance the adoption, promotion and measure of outcomes from agricultural non-point source stewardship actions in one or two key areas in the Lake Erie and Lake Huron basins. Twelve proposals were received to the WBBE Program and two projects have been selected for funding. Coordination of Monitoring, Research and Information (COA Annex 4)To achieve the Agreement's vision of a healthy, prosperous and sustainable Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, it is necessary that the Great Lakes community has access to accurate information regarding trends in environmental quality. Monitoring and research help to detect and characterize current and emerging issues in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem and provide the understanding to guide adaptive, scientifically-supported management actions. Of the two goals in this Annex, OMAFRA contributes to meet the following:
Projects FundedAn Evaluation of Water Resource Monitoring Efforts in Agricultural Watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin Organization of a workshop to evaluate the ability of current monitoring efforts to demonstrate effectiveness of stewardship efforts in agricultural watersheds and form a strategy for how to better integrate and optimize monitoring efforts to evaluate and direct agricultural stewardship programs. Learn more Application of Satellite Data to Agricultural Resource Inventory (AgRI) Mapping This project sought to pilot a technique to extract agricultural resource inventory information from satellite imagery data. Learn more Developing a Framework to Evaluate Effectiveness of Land Management Projects: Non-Point Nutrient Loadings and Near Shore Ecosystem Behaviour in Lake Erie This project sought to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS) based sampling framework to predict loadings and establish land monitoring locations to describe nutrient delivery from headwater lands to near shore. Land-Water Linkage workshops were held in order to foster collaborations among Canadian and US researchers and stakeholders regarding issues relating to biological transformation and eutrophication. Learn more Great Lakes Phosphorous Forum Organization of a forum for research and extension specialists to identify practices and research needs for managing non-point source phosphorous contributions from agricultural land in the Great Lakes Basin. Learn more 2006 Census of Agriculture data by watershed and dissemination area Purchase of watershed based census data for analysis of agri-environmental practices and trends. Learn more Wetland Conversion Analysis This project sought to digitize the remaining 1:50,000 Canada Land Inventory (CLI) Present Land Use maps from 1967 to perform Wetland Conversion Analysis to indicate historic wetland extent and types of conversion for three years, 1967, 1982 and 2000. Learn more More information on COA and other Great Lakes activities may be obtained from these OMAFRA Great Lakes Contacts:
For more information: Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300 Local: (519) 826-4047 E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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