Agricultural communications students Christina Crowley and Matt Setzkorn are participating in an experiential education course offered through the Ontario Agricultural College, in partnership with the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario. As part of the course, Christina and Matt served as the conference news reporters for the association's annual meeting in London, Ontario last week. They wrote the following news release about a new tillage database developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the University of Guelph, with the support of the association. More conference news will appear in the farm media and on various websites.

Special thanks to association president Kevin Eisses and the IFAO board for their co-operation with this educational initiative.

 

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New ONLINE tillAGE Database UNVEILED

 
[LONDON, ON] – Tillage Ontario, an interactive, online database designed for comparing the effectiveness of various tillage systems on Ontario farms, was unveiled today at the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) annual conference.

 

Researchers Greg Stewart of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Ken Janovicek of the University of Guelph developed the database, which can be accessed through the IFAO’s website at www.IFAO.com.

 

Tillage Ontario was the brainchild of IFAO directors who envisioned a place where results from decades of tillage research and innovation conducted throughout the province could be stored.

  

Since 2006, IFAO has worked with Stewart and Janovicek to collect tillage data dating back to the mid-1980s. The Tillage Ontario website makes data easily accessible and provides a practical tool for farmers, agronomists and others looking to evaluate or improve their tillage practices.

 

“The new tillage database houses the most significant collection of tillage research that has ever been assembled for Ontario,” says Stewart.

 

“Bringing all this research data together and allowing for multi-site comparisons between different tillage systems puts statistics around crop yield and revenue, and gives Ontario farmers a starting point from which to make better informed tillage management decisions,” says Janovicek.

 

Tillage Ontario also displays tillage innovation profiles of farmers, featuring Ontario’s leading tillage innovators. Their tillage systems are examined through photographs and in-depth analysis.

 

IFAO President Kevin Eisses says the researchers have done a superb job of using the internet to help producers find a tillage system that works best in their operation. “The tillage information profiles highlight the pros and cons of many different types of tillage equipment, which directly benefits producers looking for hands-on, in-the-field information that will relate to their farms,” he says.

 

Eisses says the IFAO is proud to be involved in the project. He believes the new database will have substantial impact on innovation in Ontario agriculture.

 

The tillage database project is funded in part through contributions by Canada and the Province of Ontario under the Canada-Ontario Research and Development (CORD) Program, an initiative of the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework designed to position Canada’s agri-food sector as a world leader. The Agricultural Adaptation Council administers the CORD Program on behalf of the province.

 

For more information, contact:

Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario

(519) 769-2443

ifao@ifao.com