Following Walkerton

Following the Walkerton water disaster, Ontario allocated $20 million for improving nutrient management, with another $14 million coming from the federal government. More than 2,500 projects have been completed or are underway with 50 new applications coming each week, says Graham. Ontario had 17,600 environmental farm plans completed before the BMP program went into place. In just the past year 2,550 landowners have participated in a new set of EFP workshops, he says. “There’s a strong willingness by farmers to make these changes and lots are doing other things on their own.”

Ontario’s farming landscape is visibly different from 20 years ago, Graham says. There are many vegetative buffer strips, cattle are fenced out of most riparian areas, windbreaks are once again in evidence and conservation tillage is becoming very popular.

BMPs are being evaluated for their impacts as part of a larger National Agri-Environmental Health Analysis and Reporting Program, says Smith of Ag Canada. Science-based environmental sustainability indicators are being used to measure and track the environmental performance of Canadian agriculture. “These indicators will reflect how successful these programs are at helping producers improve the environment,” he says.

<< Page 7: Value of restorations
Page 9: Comprehensive study underway >>