Bringing Soil Health Assessment to Farmers in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

Soil health assessment is new to farmers in Ontario, Canada, and is theorized as a tool for increasing the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMPs). The Greenbelt Foundation and Soil Health Institute are pilot testing how to make soil health assessments and recommendations available to grain and oilseed farmers in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe region (2023–2026). The program provides soil health tests measuring indicators such as soil organic matter, aggregate stability, and carbon mineralizable potential. Farmers receive a detailed soil health report with results, locally relevant comparisons, and suggestions of practice changes, followed by conversations with a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) to guide BMP adoption. Over 100 farmers participated in the first two years, with soil samples taken on 162 cropland fields. Initial results show that providing soil health tests with a detailed report leads to more farmers implementing and planning future BMPs. Participants were willing to try new practices, expand crop rotations, reduce tillage, and plant cover crops. Meeting with the program's CCA helped farmers overcome barriers by providing education and connecting them with cost-shared programs. To date, 8000 acres of new BMPs have been implemented, demonstrating the benefits of combining soil health testing, tailored management plans, and extension support.