The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association board and members wish to thank the Trillium Mutual Insurance Company for their generous support for the Mobile Soil Technology Suite (MSTS). Promoting soil health is central to our local activities at OSCIA and the MSTS is helping us continue our commitment to promoting farm practices that increase soil resiliency and sustainable production. The large LED screen and soil research equipment offers new ways to demonstrate concepts, share knowledge and encourage practices to increase soil health on farms across the province. The Trillium ROOTS Community Fund support will help local Soil and Crop Improvement Associations and other local organizations access the MSTS to enhance on farm demonstrations, meetings, and field days in their communities.
– Warren Schneckenburger, OSCIA President

Project Overview
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association is a leader in grassroots activities that support farmers in creating, maintaining, and building a sustainable, responsible, and dynamic agricultural sector in Ontario. OSCIA is excited to be able to take in-field learning to the next level with the Mobile Soil Technology Suite (MSTS). The audio-visual component consists of a 2- meter-high x 3-meter-wide high-resolution, weather-proof LED display screen, portable speaker and audio system, high resolution video camera for broadcast and a generator. This is housed on a trailer that can be set up in any location to enhance infield presentations and learning opportunities. In addition to the screen there is a mobile soil health lab and a variety of equipment that can be used for research and demonstrations. This includes portable pad scales with Wi-Fi connectivity and enhanced soil compaction monitoring equipment as well as a rainfall simulator, tile probes, soil augers, compaction meters and digital moisture sensors. The screen and audio-visual equipment can be used alone or in combination with a variety of the soil health lab components. The MSTS allows researchers and soil experts to demonstrate soil properties and project the real-time camera or video images to a large crowd on the LED screen. There are numerous applications for this equipment and the list of uses continues to grow. The support of the Trillium Mutual Insurance Company, assists OSCIA in providing the equipment to local agricultural associations across Ontario at a reduced fee. The support ensures that more groups will have access to cutting-edge, hands-on soil health demonstrations.