The final round of funding for property owners in the Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair watersheds will be open from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, the federal and provincial governments have announced.
A total of $2.58 million is available for projects such as:
· planting cover crops to reduce soil erosion;
· modifying equipment to reduce soil tillage and compaction;
· improving nutrient placement; and
· planting of permanent trees or vegetation strips to serve as windbreaks.
The federal-provincial program aims to reduce the risk of nutrient losses, to improve water quality and improve soil health.
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said “Canadian farmers are leading stewards of our environment, always looking for new tools and innovations to ensure their sustainability.
“I encourage farmers in Southwestern Ontario to make a project application with this exciting new cost-shared program, which can help improve their farms and the Lake Erie watershed.”
Ontario Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson said “the Great Lakes are vitally important to everyone in Ontario – from farmers to businesses and the millions of people who live in communities near these vast bodies of water.
“The investments made by federal and provincial governments in the on-farm projects supported through LEADS are greatly appreciated in the agricultural community,” said Chad Anderson, president of Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.
“This funding will result in significant environmental gains that improve soil health and water quality in the Lake Erie basin.”
The LEADS initiative supports Ontario’s commitment to a 40 per cent reduction of phosphorus run off into Lake Erie and its watershed by 2025.
