As I prepare to step back from my career at OSCIA, I was asked to share some thoughts. 

I remember attending a soil conference in Winnipeg in 2014 and hearing philanthropist Howard G. Buffet speak about his belief that each of us has about 40 chances to accomplish our life goals. He articulated that a farmer has about 40 growing seasons to improve their harvests. My career in soil and water conservation has spanned 43 years – 33 of those with Soil and Crop. I had the good fortune of being in on the leading edge of a movement that was getting significant traction in the early 80s. I’m quite satisfied with the positive mark I’ve left on numerous projects. This organization has certainly left a positive mark on me.

I was very fortunate to have invested the first seven years of my career at the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority in London. At the time, they were the epicenter of activity on soil and water conservation work. That’s where I met and worked with a long list of influencers – some who remain very close friends. I did not have some grand plan for my career path, but I liked what I did, and it had meaning.

In 1987, I crossed the fence to OMAFRA, working from the Woodstock office for three years. That was at the time the Ministry was positioning itself to be a major player in soil conservation and the first Land Stewardship Program was launched.

I had no idea at the time, but those first 10 years in the field working with a team developing soil erosion control plans for farmers, and collaborating with engineers, soil experts and water quality specialists, would be the foundation for a career spanning more than four decades.

Soil and Crop proved a good fit for me when I arrived in 1990. This organization offered me all the ingredients for the perfect career cocktail: freedom to innovate, make decisions, challenging work, trust in my abilities, a committed and friendly work force to lean on, and leadership who had the patience to allow me to grow my own expertise and confidence. 

Over my time here there have been literally dozens and dozens of educational opportunities, incentive programs, research projects, and special investigations delivered. Together, we have grown, learned a lot, and have had the chance to re-invest those learnings and apply new ideas – all with the objective of assisting farmers in their adoption of best management practices. 

Having the unique opportunity to play a role in the initial development of the Environmental Farm Plan back in the early nineties, and then to still be a part of it 30 years later, has been incredibly rewarding. It is gratifying to see the respect and pride in EFP expressed by the farm community from all over Canada in a program that started right here, sparked by the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition. 

Fourth and First Editions of the Environmental Farm Plan

EFP and the associated programming has taken me to nine different provinces over the years to attend conferences and speak on our Ontario experiences (I didn’t manage to make it to Newfoundland and Labrador). The people I met on those travels and their limitless enthusiasm for EFP deepened my own commitment even more. 

In the early years there were delegations from numerous countries who came to visit Soil and Crop to learn about EFP.  As recent as last Fall, we hosted a delegation from New Zealand who were interested in our activities. They shared information on their Farm and Environment Plans (FEPs), and it is rewarding to see how a remarkably similar format to the Ontario model is being successfully applied in a country on the other side of the world.

We all hope there will be an opportunity to update and modernize the Ontario EFP over the next few years so it can continue to serve the needs of farmers across the province. There are many talented and creative people who are just as supportive and passionate as the original group who conceptualized EFP back in the early nineties.

It wasn’t just programs that led to a lot of travel and learning opportunities for me. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the back roads of Ontario due in part to the many summer meeting tours hosted by in-coming Soil and Crop presidents, giving me and many others the chance to learn about their farms and regions. The memories provide me endless opportunities for reflection. The friendships made, the fun we’ve had, and the good work we’ve all been part of, are what keep us connected to this organization.

To my many colleagues and friends at OSCIA and elsewhere, I have enjoyed working with you immensely.  We can all take considerable pride in what we’ve been part of and of what’s been accomplished on the stewardship front. There’s lots more work to do, and it will take your collective expertise, perspectives and creative problem solving to help keep Ontario agriculture marching forward and best positioned to take on new challenges.

There is no other organization quite like Ontario Soil and Crop. It’s great to see new education, incentive and applied research programming coming together with strong support of government. Throw in the e-tractor pilot and the Mobile Soil Technology Suite and more, and the next few years promise tremendous opportunity to build on the stellar reputation of this organization.

I’m leaving Soil and Crop a better person. There was a time when I was the youngest in the meeting room. The tables have turned and that is definitely no longer the case.

As the country singer, Eric Church says, “Thanks for doing life with me,” (at least this far in). Speak kindly and care deeply.                 ~Andy