Provided by: Nicole Mackellar, Director of Member Services and Business Development
OSCIA’s Research Department continues to advance farmer-led, science-based solutions that strengthen soil health, water quality and climate resilience across Ontario. Through expanded partnerships, innovative monitoring tools and enhanced knowledge transfer, 2025 marked a year of meaningful growth and impact across all major research programs.
Living Lab Ontario
The Living Lab program expanded in 2025 with the addition of eight new farmer cooperators, broadening both the drone-seeded cover crop research and profit mapping activities. This expansion strengthens the program’s ability to evaluate agronomic and economic outcomes across diverse regions and farming systems.
Several Living Lab projects also adopted enhanced sampling plans that integrate Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery from both satellite and drone sources. This dual approach allows farmers and researchers to monitor crop development throughout the growing season and better understand in-field variability in plant health.
Knowledge sharing remained a cornerstone of the Living Lab initiative. OSCIA delivered the 2025 Innovation Exchange and Research Forum, a four-part virtual series that explored climate-friendly solutions co-developed by farmers and researchers. Topics included liquid manure methane emissions, cover crop innovation, nitrogen management and strategies for managing marginal lands.
Additionally, OSCIA advanced the development of the Living Lab–ON website, creating a centralized platform to showcase on-farm events, research projects and case studies from across the province.
One of the most visible milestones of the program was the Living Lab Co-Development Workshop, which convened 100 participants for two days of dialogue, idea exchange and collaborative planning. Farmers, researchers, industry representatives and partners worked together to identify priorities, refine research questions and strengthen collaboration across the Living Lab network.
Lake Erie Enhanced Analysis of Agricultural Practices (LEEAAP)
Progress continued under the LEEAAP initiative with the analysis of historical water quality data from ONFARM monitoring sites evaluating the impact of cover cropping on water quality.
Findings were shared at two major conferences, helping to inform researchers, conservation professionals and policymakers.
OSCIA also collaborated with conservation authorities to develop a work plan for enhanced edge-of-field water quality monitoring at sites implementing beneficial management practices (BMPs), strengthening the understanding of soil health and water quality outcomes.
On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF)
OSCIA strengthened its OFCAF delivery through a new alliance with the Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association (CCA-ON), enhancing advisor training and support.
To date, eight educational resources—one print publication, five webinars and two in-person presentations—have been developed to increase advisor knowledge of OFCAF-eligible BMPs.
Approximately 130 OFCAF Knowledge Sharing Events were delivered, alongside successful events under the Regenerative Winter Wheat program and Operation Pollinator.
A new Knowledge Sharing Event intake was developed for early 2026, marking the first intake under OFCAF’s expansion phase.
OSCIA also launched a comprehensive communications strategy for the innovative BMP cost-share activity under the program, including an updated website and social media outreach.
Farmland Health Check-Up
In 2025, OSCIA announced a province-wide expansion of the Farmland Health Check-Up, removing registration barriers and enabling participation by all producers. Program materials were updated, and the website was redesigned to improve efficiency, streamline advisor certification and enhance the producer experience.
ONFARM
The 2025 ONFARM Forum highlighted the important work underway through this nine-year applied research initiative supporting soil health and water quality research on Ontario farms.
OSCIA also delivered impactful ONFARM Knowledge Transfer Events, including Soil Health Day on the Farm, a hands-on event that brought farmers, agronomists and community members together to explore soil health demonstrations and practical nitrogen management strategies that improve resilience without sacrificing yield.
Together, these initiatives reflect OSCIA’s continued commitment to putting farmers at the centre of applied research and knowledge transfer. By combining on-farm innovation, strong partnerships, and accessible education, the Research and Knowledge Transfer Department is helping Ontario producers make informed decisions that improve productivity while advancing long-term soil health, water quality, and climate resilience. As programs continue to grow and evolve, OSCIA remains focused on delivering practical, science-based outcomes that support a sustainable and resilient agricultural sector across the province.
