Quinte Soil and Crop Improvement Association

Quinte Soil and Crop Improvement Association is a regional branch of the Ontario Soil and Crop improvement Association (OSCIA). The mission of OSCIAis to Facilitate responsible economic management of soil, water, air and crops through development and communication of innovative farming practices.

The region includes Northumberland Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Hastings and Lennox and Addington Soil and Crop Improvement Association and Prince Edward Soil and Crop Improvement Association.

Quinte Farm Research and Stewardship Collaborative (QFRSA)

In 2020, the Quinte Soil and Crop Association (QSCIA) established a collaborative network called the Quinte Farm Research and Stewardship Collaborative (QFRSA). It is a network of farmers in Northumberland, Hastings, Prince Edward and Lennox and Addington countries, researchers from Trent University and the University of Toronto and the Ganaraska Region, Lower Trent and Quinte conservation authorities.

The focus of QFRSC is improving soil health and water quality, through assessment and planning, and establishing a network of farmers to look at modern agricultural practices, current Best Management Practices (BMP) and and their impact on water quality and soil health and soil conservation.

The QFRSC would like to engage with farmers to look the impact of multiple variables such as tillage methods, crop rotation, soil type, manure application, and the use of BMPs on soil health and water quality.

Assessment will focus specifically: On farm field management of phosphorus and nitrogen, the associated risks of nutrient loss, soil erosion, soil health (soil carbon and biology); possible passive phosphorus treatment, such as end of tile treatment; and developing models to predict the impacts farm management practises have on water quality in the Bay of Quinte and Ganaraska Region Watershed.

Ways to get involved

Lindsay Nash coordinates the QFRSC . You can contact her to find out how to get involved. She runs monthly ZOOM webinars that will be advertised here and on Facebook.

There are different ways that farmers can get involved both on research and stewardship, such as soil testing, erosion control, funding for cover crops, learning about the effect of BMP on water quality on your farm, impact of tile drains and ways os assessing and improving soil health and soil biology.