​​​​​Landowner Stewardship Resources

Please note: These resource links are provided for your information. NVCA does not endorse or approve any of the products, services or opinions found on external sites. Further, NVCA is not responsible for the accuracy, accessibility, legality or content found on the external sites. 

Agricultural Best Management Practices

• OMAFRA's Best Management Practice (BMP) booklets are a series of publications that take a practical, affordable approach to conserving farm soil and water resources without sacrificing productivity. More than 25 topics are covered in the series, including farm forestry management, streamside grazing, managing nutrients (phosphorus) and controlling erosion (links to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
• Vegetable and Fruit Washwater Treatment Manu​al A guide for managing washwater at packaging facility in a way that promotes environmental stewardship. The guide provides information on why good wash water management is important on the farm and at the packaging facility. NVCA staff worked with the Holland Marsh Growers Association on research presented in the manual, sampling and monitoring washwater pre- and post- implementation of various water treatment technologies (links to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
• Rural Landowner Stewardship Guide for NVCA
  

Agricultural Soil Health, Conservation & Erosion Reduction

• 2022 Soil Health Conference​ – presentation. Learn from other farmers, researchers and agricultural specialists about how to use cover crops, bio-strips, WASCOB's to improve soil health, crop yields and reduce topsoil loss and pollution to lakes and rivers (hosted by St. Clair Region Conservation Authority)
  
• Ag Runoff and Erosion Protection (PDF) (courtesy of Conservation Ontario) 
• Compost Council of Canada "Soi​l at Work" (links to Compost Council of Canada)
• OMAFRA Best Management Practices Series: Soil Health includes information on amendments, cropland retirement, cover crops and more (links to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
• OMAFRA Resources on Agricultural Erosion Control Structures includes design and construction information, list of certified contractors and more (links to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
• Equipment Modifications for Cover Crops, Nutrient Management and Building Healthy Soils (webinar) Local farmers discuss what's worked for their farm. 
  
• Climate Change Impacts and Solutions in Agriculture (webinar)​
  
• Controlled Tile Drainage Fact Sheet (links to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• Controlled Tile Drainage (Video from AgriRisk Initiative under Growing Together 2, Government of Canada, OSCIA, and South Nation Conservation)
• Controlled-Tile-Drainage-CVC-factsheet​ Considering new tile drainage or retrofitting your existing tile drainage?  Consider the yield, economic and environmental benefits to your farm of adding Controlled Drainage into your system. (University of Ottawa, OSICA)
  
  
• What is healthy soil and why it matters (Ontario Greenbelt)​
  

All about Algae

• Blue-Green Algae Information (links to Government of Ontario)
• Fact Sheet Information about Blue-Green Algae (links to Federation of Ontario Cottager's Association)

Cover Crops

Cover crops can increase soil fertility, organic matter, add nitrogen, suppress weeds, nematode suppression, reduce compaction and reduce water and wind erosion.  These cover crop selection tools can help you choose the best species mixes for your farm:

• Midwest Cover Crop Council Cover Crop Decision Tool
  
• University of Guelph Decision Tool
• Cover Crop Seed Suppliers
• Cover Crop Seeds Available
• Soil Manage ment (includes links to information on cover crops for erosion control)
• Soil Water Management
• Publication 75, Guide to Weed Control
• Equipment Modifications for Cover Crops & Nutrient Management (Webinar) (courtesy of Lower Trent Valley Conservation Authority ).

Horse Stewardship

• Horse Owners Stewardship Guide for the Ontario Landscape  A great workbook to help you self-assess your farm, and highlights ways to improve it and protect the environment.  Based on the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (links to Credit Valley Conservation).
• Manure Storages for Small to Medium Size Horse Farms (links to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
• Manure Management in the Equine Landscape (PDF) (courtesy of University of Guelph – Equine Guelph - The Centre for Land and Water Stewardship).
• Trees and Wildlife in the Equine Landscape (PDF) (courtesy of University of Guelph – Equine Guelph - The Centre for Land and Water Stewardship)

Flooding - Be Flood Ready

The Government of Canada has launched a new website flood risks: Flood Ready provides an overview of overland flooding, cost of flooding, reasons to be flood ready, quiz on flood risks, step-by-step guide on making properties and communities safer, ways to build flood-readiness into a property, as well as community flood planning steps, tools and government programs.

Forestry Conservation

Forestry conservation or "tree cutting" bylaws fall under county jurisdiction. Remember to call or click before you cut!

• County of Grey - Forests/Trails
• County of Simcoe - Forestry Conservation Bylaw

The Green Pages: Watershed Business Directory

Business contacts for all your stewardship projects!

​Dealing with Invasive Species

• NVCA's Invasive Species Pages information on many of the invasive species that are found in the Nottawasaga Valley Watershed
• Managing Invasive Species (PDF) (prepared by Donna Havinga and the Ontario Invasive Plants Working Group)
• Landowners Guide to Controlling Invasive Woodland Plants (PDF) (courtesy of Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters)
• Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-Alikes (PDF) (courtesy of Delaware Dept. of Agriculture)
• Invasive Phragmites Best Management Practices (PDF) (courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry)
• Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program
  
• Ontario's Most Unwanted!  Fact sheets and resources from the Ontario Invasive Plant Council
  
• LDD​ Moths (Courtesy of County of Simcoe)
  
• Emerald Ash Borer
  
• Managing Erect Hedge-Parsley (Ontario Invasive Plants)
  
• Managing Goutweed​ (Ontario Invasive Plants)​
  

Mapping Tools

Mapping tools can help view air photos of your property, measure distances, check regulated areas, design your project, check soil mapping, Canada Land Inventory, etc:

• NVCA mapping
• OMFRA Agricultural Atlas (tutorials)
• Dufferin County mapping
  
• Grey County mapping
• Simcoe County mapping

Planting for Pollinators

• Selecting Plants for Po​llinators – Manitoulin & Lake Simcoe Region  (links to Pollinator Partnership) 
• A Landowner's Guide to Conserving Native Pollinators in Ontario (links to Feed the Bees)
• Native Pollina​tors on Farms  (links to Farms at Work)
• Create you Flutter Buzz Patch - Native Plants to Attract Bees, Butterflies and Birds  (webinar)

Protecting your Soil

• Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) Fact Sheet (links to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

Protecting your Water

• What Landowners can do to Protect Water Quality and Quantity
  
• ​The Power of Small wetlands to Improve Water Quality​ (webinar hosted by Ducks Unlimited Canada)
  
• A Landowner's Guide to Wetland Restoration in Ontario (Ducks Unlimited Canada)
  

• Caring for your Septic System
• Flooded Wells and Septic Systems Fact Sheet (PDF)
  
• SepticSmart! Understanding Your Home's Septic System
• SepticSmart! Advanced Treatment Systems — Alternatives to Conventional Septic Systems (PDF)
  (Both SpecticSmart! documents courtesy of Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the MECP through Cataraqui Source Protection Area, Mississippi-Rideau Source Protection Region and Quinte Source Protection Region)

Shoreline Restoration

• South Georgian Bay Shoreline Stewardship Guide (2013, published by Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation)
• A Stewardship Guide for the Lake Huron Coastline (2006, published by Huron County, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority,  Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation, University of Guelph, Friends of the Bayfield River, Huron Stewardship Council
  
  
• Working Along the Shore – A Professional's Guide to Healthy Shoreline Management for Lake Simcoe (2014) - This guide is a must for those that live on a lake. Learn how to protect the lake you love. Features native plant suggestions, low impact docks, and shoreline protection methods. Made for Lake Simcoe, it can be extended to many lakes in Ontario (Created by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Dufferin Simcoe Land Stewardship Network.)

Well Care & Maintenance

• Directory of Licensed Well Contractors (links to Government of Ontario)
• Alls Well That Ends Well (PDF)
• How to Care for your Private Well (PDF) (courtesy of Conservation Ontario)
• Flooded Wells and Septic Systems Face Sheet (PDF)
• How to Take a Water Sample for Bacteriological Testing (PDF)
• Potential for Groundwater Contamination in Wells (PDF)
• Private Well Water Stewardship in Ontario 2008 (PDf) (courtesy of Water Policy & Governance Group)
• Rural Water Wells (PDF) (courtesy of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada)
• Well Construction and Decommission (links to MECP)
• Well Testing (PDF)

Windbreaks

• Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs windbreak videos (topics including planting, maintenance and success stories)
• Living Snow Fence Video A video highlighting the benefits of living snow fences (courtesy of Grand River Conservation Authority)
• Multi-functional Windbreaks: Design Options and Economic Evaluation In 2011-2012, the NVCA and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), with the support of the provincial Lake Simcoe fun ding program, undertook a multi-phase windbreak project that included a report, workshops and a survey of farmers in the NVCA watershed.
• Shelterbelt Planting Guide The planning, planting and maintenance of farm windbreaks, shelterbelts and hedgerows.  How to design for reduced wind based soil erosion, increased crop yield, reduced odours, cooling/heating efficiency for the home and barn, and reduced snow drift/white-outs. (Andre Vezina, 2005)
• Shelterbelt Maintenance A detailed guide on how to maintain farm shelterbelts or windbreaks, from initial establishment to replacement trees. (Andre Vezina, 2008)
• The Benefits of Windbreaks - Extension Notes A fact sheet on how windbreaks work and their benefits to: reducing erosion, crop yield and quality, livestock productivity, snow control, energy efficiency, wood harvest, and wildlife (courtesy of the Landowner Resource Centre and the University of Toronto's Faculty of Forestry, 1994)
• The Floraview Farm Project - Shelterbelt Case Study A case study published by the Grand River Conservation Authority reviewing the success of using planted trees to create a shelterbelt on a dairy farm near Elmira, Ontario.
• Windbreak Cost-Benefit Calculators:  Break Wind Save Money – Find out how much! Shelterbelts can help increase yields, reduce heating, snow removal costs, and provide added income for farmers through the sale of timber or fruit. However, the establishment and maintenance of a shelterbelt entails certain costs, in addition to reducing farmers' income through the loss of a portion of tillable acreage. On this site you can download an excel spreadsheet to calculate the cost of shelterbelt implementation and benefits specific to your farm There is also a planting cost estimator and several other resources.

Woodlot Management & Forestry

• Butternut Tree: Ontario Species at Risk - A Landowner's Resource Guide (links to the  Forest Gene Conservation Association)
• Homeowners Guide to Maintaining Your Trees Following Ice Storms and How to Prevent Future Damage (PDF) (courtesy of Forests Ontario).
• Landowner Woodlot Handbook Maintenance of Forests Following Ice Storm Events (PDF) (courtesy of Forests Ontario)