ONTARIO – The governments of Canada and Ontario are spending up to $5 million to increase resiliency and productivity of community grazing pastures.
“By investing in our community pastures, we’re supporting biodiversity, soil health, and resilient grazing systems,” said Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald.
The Community Pastures Initiative, funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, support eligible community pastures so they can adopt best management practices and technologies “that boost the quality of these lands for grazing animals, while also enhancing biodiversity and strengthening soil health for the long-term,” officials stated.
“Ontario’s shared community pastures and grazing lands are essential resources in our agricultural landscape and play a vital role in building a stronger cattle and agri-food sector,” said Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Trevor Jones. “This initiative will help farmers stay competitive and resilient in the face of economic uncertainty.”
It will support up to 100 per cent of eligible costs for designing, constructing and maintaining projects such as:
– rotational grazing;
– improving pasture quality by planting resilient perennial forage crops;
– permanent grasslands (including forage);
– riparian buffers and pollinator habitats;
– management of at-risk natural features;
– tree buffers and shelterbelts;
– integrated tree, forage and livestock grazing systems; and
-wetlands, water retention and runoff control.
