The goal is to reduce phosphorus run-off from the third largest watershed in the province.

Environmental stewardship has been on the radar of the agri-food industry for the past 20 years -some will say longer. The challenge is that producers are caught between messaging that says, “you must grow more to feed an increasing world population” yet achieve those increased yields with less fertilizer.

It’s not an impossible dream but it requires ideal growing conditions, continuous improvement in plant genetics and long-term planning for fertility programs, none of which is readily available from one year to the next.

The Ontario government recognizes the challenges facing primary producers to “do more with less” and is stepping up with funding programs to help producers improve on-farm practices and performance. The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority is launching the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative, with technical and financial assistance to enhance and protect on-farm water quality. The Sydenham watershed includes most of Lambton County, parts of northern Chatham-Kent and southwestern Middlesex Country (see Map 1) and drains nearly 3,500 sq km of land.

Map 1 -Sydenham watershed

Impressive impact on regional ag
Ecologically, the region is also home to a diverse collection of plant and aquatic species. But it’s in agriculture where the area’s strength is evident; in all, farm production constitutes 82% of the land used, with soybeans, corn and wheat the primary crops, accounting for 71% of the overall land use in the watershed.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient, responsible for cellular growth in plants above and below the ground and is a necessity in animal nutrition, as well. Its use as a fertilizer is critical yet its interaction in the soil must be carefully balanced in various forms and with different pH levels. Optimum performance with monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) is achieved in soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. When applied in high pH (basic soils) some of the phosphorus from these fertilizers bind with calcium; in low pH (acidic) soils, it binds with iron and aluminum. In both examples, this ties up some of the phosphorus and restricts its availability to plants. That can encourage producers to increase their application rates to achieve their yield goals.

Unfortunately, such increases can have negative effects. According to a study from 2019, the Sydenham River Watershed releases roughly 89% of total phosphorus on an annual basis. Water from the Sydenham’s watershed flows into Lake St. Clair which eventually makes its way to Lake Erie, the site of severe algal blooms in the past 20 years, a result of run-off from farmland, particularly from excess amounts of phosphorus.

Given the importance of ag balanced against the ecological sensitivity within the watershed, the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative offers 10 different streams to help producers implement practices and measures to help protect the environment while boosting production. Grant rates and maximums vary, with some rates as high as 75% of the cost of a project or maximums up to $20,000 (see Table 1).

Table 1 -Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative -Potential projects, Grant rate and Maximum Grant

The intake for Cover Crops is currently closed but opens again May 1, 2025. The application forms for the other nine projects will be available in the near future.

Start now
Although the intakes are pending, there may be a number of ineligible activities or details in the program that require further consideration. If you are interested in learning more about the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative, the professionals at Elite Agri Solutions have the grant-writing expertise to support you. Call 519 – 953 -4479 or visit our website, at https://eliteagrisolutions.ca/.