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By Tracey Ryan, OSCIA Applied Research Coordinator
Reducing Barriers to BMP Adoption—Soil Testing and Cover Crops was a three-year applied research initiative delivered by OSCIA that began in 2019. The objective of the project was to identify and address the key barriers for Ontario farmers in adopting the best management practices (BMPs) of soil testing and cover cropping. A literature review and scan of funding programs was completed. Focus groups with farmers and key stakeholders were also used to uncover the reasons why these practices were not more widely adopted.
The phase two focused on the creation of a pilot project to evaluate program innovations to overcome barriers identified in phase one. An Advisory Team, consisting of Certified Crop Advisors (C.C.A.), Conservation Authority (CA) staff, soil testing labs, seed dealers, and producers as well as OMAFRA and OSCIA staff, was established to provide advice and input on the creation of the pilot project.
The Advisory Team identified four barriers to focus on (see table 1) and the pilot project was designed to address these barriers with strategic actions.
Table 1 – Priority Barriers and Strategic Actions as Determined by the Advisory Team

Identified Barrier	Strategic Action
Financial barriers associated with economic uncertainties with changing production practices.	Provision of 60% cost-share incentive up to $2,500 per project stream.
Providing support for producers who have previously tried the practice.	Support for “accelerating” or “upping your game”.
Access to agronomic, farm management, information, and knowledge barriers	Provision of local CCA or Professional Agrologist as Expert Coaches, as well as an online suite of resources.
Administrative burden of traditional cost-share funding programs	Expert Coaches completed the Meeting Forms on behalf of the farmers.

Accelerate your Soil Health Game launched in May 2021 and ran to December 2021 in Lambton, Simcoe, and Renfrew counties. Producers were invited to apply for cost-share funding to implement cover cropping and soil testing on their farms using a streamlined application process. Each participant was paired with a C.C.A. Expert Coach who provided advice and assistance in planning and assessing the soil health practice.
Fourteen Expert Coaches submitted completed coaching forms for forty cover cropping projects and fifty-five soil testing projects. The cover cropping projects spanned 5,222 acres (2,114 hectares) and the soil testing projects covered 15,175 acres (6,144 hectares). The feedback provided through the surveys and review of coaching forms yielded interesting insights into program design and our success in overcoming the identified barriers.
The Accelerate Your Soil Health Game pilot recognized that farmers have unique soil health journeys and that the BMPs are a continuum. The pilot was open to farmers, in those three counties, who wanted to try these soil productivity practices for the first time, as well as those who wanted to “accelerate” or modify their practices and expand their knowledge and experience. As a result, 37% of participants had no previous experience with cover cropping, while the remainder had cover cropped before—most commonly growing cover crops after wheat or another annual crop. Participants’ new cover crop projects included growing:

• A more diverse cover crop (multiple species)
• Winter cereal & oilseed crops other than winter wheat
• A cover crop for the first time
• A cover crop for grazing

While most farmers in the soil testing stream had soil tested in the past, 40% of farmers had either out-of- date soil test results, or no records of soil test results whatsoever. Most commonly, those who had soil tested, had a basic test package on bulk or composite samples. Farmers in the pilot demonstrated commitment to “accelerate” their use of this soil productivity practice by:

• Conducting soil testing on fields not regularly or previously sampled,
• Using a more detailed sampling method (such as zone or grid sampling),
• Applying a leading-edge package (such as Soil, Water and Topography [SWAT] mapping).

Local Expert Coaches helped producers’ complete paperwork as well as plan and implement their soil testing and/or cover cropping projects. Producers were provided two, free one-hour sessions with their Expert Coach. Farmers reported that having access to support from an Expert Coach was a significant factor influencing their decision to participate. Expert Coaches received compensation for their services directly from OSCIA through the pilot project rather than from the farmer via the cost-share grant.
The Expert Coaches helped their clients find ways to overcome challenges and apply soil productivity practices on their farms. Those in the cover cropping stream received recommendations on selecting the right cover crop to incorporate into their rotations, and how to address the agronomic challenges of late harvest and poor top-growth or other issues that plagued earlier attempts. Especially in these times of rapidly escalating commercial fertilizer costs and concerns on availability, farmers in the soil testing stream learned how to interpret soil test results and carefully tailor their rates to optimize their investment in order to address production and environmental interests.
The program acknowledged that each time a producer tries something “new” there is an element of risk. Field crop practices such as cover crops and soil testing are a continuum that requires the producer to gain experience, knowledge, and confidence to apply the practices under different conditions and areas on their farms. A producer who normally plants a cover crop after wheat may need additional information and support to plant a cover crop after soybeans or corn. In numerous projects, the “new” practice helped the producer expand the practice to fields that had not been soil tested or cover cropped recently.
Producers indicated that access to the Expert Coach improved the experience with both practices. One cover crop applicant said, “the coach was great at helping connect me to more resources for cover cropping.
Discussion and brainstorming helped make this project successful. I was very grateful for the coaching sessions.” Applicants who soil tested found the coaching time valuable. One producer said that “even though I have good knowledge reading soil test results and using 4R approach with fertilizer recommendations, I had a great conversation with my coach about the soil test report.” While another producer found that, “the coach helped to motivate us to get the soil tests done. Several fields yielded different results than expected. It came at a good time as we did extra fertilizer and lime applications… before the price increase.” 81% of survey respondents indicated that after meeting with their Expert Coach they learned more about interpreting soil test reports and 68% learned more about developing a fertility program based on the soil test report.
The success of the pilot project extends beyond the completion of these individual projects, too. As a result of their participation in the pilot project, the project evaluation confirmed 83% of participants are likely or highly likely to recommend cover cropping, and 88% of participants are likely or very likely to recommend soil testing. Project participants developed their knowledge about these soil productivity practices and will promote them within their networks.
Interested in learning more about the project, background reports and the Pilot Project Evaluation? Visit the OSCIA Applied Research Website: (www.osciaresearch.org/reducing-barriers/).
The initiative supported improving soil health, productivity, and water quality on farms across Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs identified the need for the project and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association delivered it. This project was funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
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