The environment is really important for everyone, especially for farmers and their businesses. This is because we need healthy soil, clean air, and water to grow crops and raise animals. These provide the food, fuel, and things like cloth that we all need.
Taking care of the environment is a big part of being a farmer. It’s also something we do for the whole society, not just ourselves. But we can’t do it alone.
That’s why it was really good to hear that the government is supporting research and projects to help keep our water clean and our soil healthy. They’re giving us tools and programs to do this important work.
I’m a farmer near Cobourg, and I went to an event that happened in our area. David Piccini, who is in charge of taking care of the environment in Ontario, came to Kaiser Lake Farms near Napanee. He said that the government will spend $6 million on things that will help keep the Great Lakes healthy.
This is important for farmers like me because they’re giving money to projects that will help take care of the land we use for farming. These projects will also stop things like nutrients from our farms getting into the Great Lakes, which is good for the water.
Lisa Thompson, the Minister in charge of farming stuff in Ontario, went to Shuh Orchards in Waterloo Region. She said they’re giving $68 million to start three new programs that help farmers do things in a better way that won’t hurt the land.
Most of the money will go to a program called Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program (RALP). This will help farmers do things like not digging up the soil too much, making ponds to keep water, and other things to stop bad stuff from going into the air and to trap carbon.
Farmers can also get money from the Agricultural Stewardship Initiative to change how they use machines and do things on the farm.
The third program, known as On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM), will give money to research ways to make farming better for the land. They want to make the soil healthier and keep the water clean.
When Minister Piccini visited Kaiser Lake Farms, they showed different things that farmers can do to keep the water and environment safe.
These include having strips of plants next to the crops to stop water from flowing away, making pathways for water to go into drains, planting special crops to stop the soil from being washed away, and using drains to let water into the ground for plants and nutrients.
These are just a few ways that many farmers all over Ontario have been using for a long time – sometimes even for decades. They do this to make sure they are taking care of the land and the environment while also making smart choices for their farms.
For example, on my own farm in a hilly part of Ontario, I started using a method called “no-till planting” back in the 1980s. This helps stop the soil from washing away, makes the soil stronger, and keeps it healthy.
I’ve also been a part of a local group that works on improving soil and crops. This group helps farmers learn about taking care of the environment while farming.
As technology gets better, farmers have access to new tools that can help them. One example is special equipment that can put fertilizer exactly where the soil needs it or only spray weeds and not other plants. There are also robots that can look for pests, predict how much food we’ll get, and control weeds.
Farmers always want to do a better job and use less stuff to make more food. These kinds of tools help us do that and also take good care of the environment. This isn’t just good for farmers; it’s good for everyone. When the environment is healthy and strong, it’s good for us now and for the people who come after us.
Water and soil are really important things for us because they help us grow the food we eat. That’s why it’s super important that we take care of them and use them wisely. We’re really thankful for the government’s help through programs that were just announced. These programs will help us do a better job of looking after water and soil.
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