The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), is launching the Lake Erie Enhanced Analysis of Agricultural Practices (LEEAAP) research program. The results will inform best management practices (BMPs) aimed at reducing phosphorus loading from agricultural fields into Lake Erie. 

Funded by the Canada Water Agency’s (CWA) Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative’s Lake Erie Innovation Substream, LEEAAP will leverage considerable investment by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness through the On Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) Program to advance interpretation of years of water quality data.

Key partners include: Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), and the University of Waterloo’s Department of Geography and Environmental Management. The program will: 

• -  Support water-sampling, environmental and farm practice data collection, and BMP implementation in farm fields within the priority subwatersheds; overland flow during runoff events as well as tile drainage output at multiple sites will be monitored

• -  Establish a standardized set of parameters for water quantity and quality, climate, soil health, and farm-field management and production data for evaluation using multivariate statistics and machine learning algorithms

• -  Enhance the efficacy of agricultural practice recommendations through a combination of real-time implementation and historical data analysis

• -  Develop and deliver a workshop for water quality specialists and conservationists to share a data-management framework in support of further work on reducing phosphorus losses

• -  Mobilize results and findings directly to farmers through educational workshops, factsheets, case studies, and demonstration days in the field.

OSCIA is seeking a qualified Water Quality Specialist to oversee the data analysis, and the significant investments of CWA funds will support monitoring by the Conservation Authorities in the corresponding subwatersheds and development of resources for researchers in the field.

 For more information, contact: Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) Phone: 1-800-265-9751 Email:newsteam@ontariosoilcrop.org

Source:  Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association February 4, 2025 news release