St. Clair Region – RCC position is currently vacant.
No report is currently available.
Thames Valley Region – Cathy Dibble

2023 brought a major event to the region – OSCIA’s Provincial Summer Event was hosted by 1st Vice President, Phil Oegema, in Elgin County. The planning committee included Phil, staff from the Guelph office and representatives from Elgin and Oxford SCIA.
The two-day event was very successful and well attended, even with some weather that cancelled the planned in-field high speed disc demonstrations. However, the group was still able to see Phil’s weed zapper in action despite the rains. Friday also included great presentations, a farmer panel, and supper followed by evening entertainment in the form of singer Connor Wilson. Saturday we had we had two buses head out to the Tirecraft facility in Ingersoll, Whitecrest Mushrooms, Hayhoe Hops, and Agrico’s new facility in St Thomas. This was a great, interesting lineup of places to visit. Elgin and Oxford SCIA joined the event as their summer tours for 2024.
Middlesex directors held their summer twilight meeting near Kerwood after an incredibly heavy downpour (again). Topics included 60” corn research, biostrips, autonomous farming, and a farmer panel on production tips.
Members from across the region participated in various field research trials, both county and regionally based, and with OMAFRA Field Crop Staff projects. Regional updates were published throughout the year, including information about local activities, field trial results and updated rainfall and heat unit data from each county, distributed alongside the OSCIA Innovator newsletter both in electronic and paper formats as needed.
The regional website continues to be a popular source of information for coming local events, rain and heat unit data, local project reports, annual plot protocols and data, and tour photos. One director representing each county association and one from the regional board sit on the Southwest Ag Conference steering committee as part of the Ontario Ag Conference, meeting several times over the past year to plan 2024 Ontario Agricultural Conference hybrid event in conjunction with the Eastern Crops Conference and the Mid West Crops Conference events.
Cathy Dibble
Thames Valley SCIA Regional Communication Coordinator
(Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford Counties)
cdibble@ontariosoilcrop.org
519-788-0985
http://tvrscia.wordpress.com
@TVRSCIA on Twitter
Heartland Region – Nancy van Sas (interim)
Regional Communication Coordinator – Mary Feldskov partially stepped down from the role of RCC, remaining as treasurer of Heartland until a permanent replacement RCC is found. Nancy Van Sas temporarily stepped into the role starting in August 2023.
Heartland Production Meeting – was held on March 7, 2023, in Brodhagen featuring Dr. Lee Briese, a Crop Consultant for Central Crop Consulting in Edgeley, North Dakota. The day also included presentations by Felix Weber, Enhancing Your Farming with Spray and Cover Crop Drones, and Alex Barrie, Keep Your Compaction at Bay in 2023.

Midwest Ag Conference – members of Heartland SCIA worked closely with Golden Horseshoe and OMAFRA staff to host the Midwest Ag Conference at RIM Park in Waterloo January 19, 2024. The Soil Focus Day had 230 participants with 16 Trade Show sponsors represented. This event is part of the Ontario Agricultural Conference in conjunction with Southwest Ag Conference and Eastern Ontario Crop Conference, which offers live events and a virtual component including live virtual and pre-recorded sessions.
County Activities
HURON
Huronview
- Tours occurred throughout the summer of the research farm
- Installation of an electronic tile logger to record water flow that exists small field A
- An erosion control structure, design provided by Kevin McKague, was build on the slope of the hill/berm. The tile and erosion control structure were installed by Parker and Parker
June 21, 2023
- Huronview Presentation by Rick Koostra and Mari Veliz, Linking Soil Health and Water Quality
August 18, 2023
- Cover Crop and Strip Till Event at the Huron County Plowing Match in Bluevale
January 25, 2024
- Huron AGM & Winter Meeting included the types of cyber attacks out there, the new PurYield product produced in St. Thomas, and the antics of Peter Johnson
PERTH
January 11, 2024
- The Perth AGM & Winter Meeting included Dr. Adrian Correndo presenting Perspectives on Sustainable Corn and Soybean Production: Lessons from South America and the U.S.
WATERLOO
January 30, 2024
- Waterloo AGM & Winter Meeting featuring Joanna Follings providing update on the Great Lakes Wheat Yield Enhancement Network, Jake Munroe discussing soil health, representatives from Lucky’s Tires presenting on relationship of tires and compaction, plus a farmer panel on soil health
WELLINGTON
July 20, 2023
- Assisted in the hosting of the Ag Innovation Spotlight at the Grand Way in Elora in conjunction with the provincial office. The evening focused on innovation advancements in machinery, crop production and farming
December 1, 2023
- Wellington AGM & Winter Meeting featuring Greg Stewart, Biologicals: The Talk and The Walk; Dr. Laura Van Eerd, Soil Health Assessment Project; Dean Shantz, PurYield Controlled Release Fertilizer; and Deb Campbell, All Things Nitrogen
Georgian Central Region – Emily McKague for Grey Ag Services
Grey Ag Services is the RCC for Georgian Central Region Soil & Crop. The region is composed of Bruce, Dufferin, Grey and North Simcoe counties.
Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week started the year off in the first week of January. Members of both the Bruce & Grey County SCIAs are actively involved in planning the Crops Day program which ran January 10th 2023, and many SCIA members were also in attendance.
Bruce County SCIA held their Annual General Meeting on January 19th, 2023, with guest speakers and an election of board members. As a result of the business portion of this meeting, the association took a letter to a local politician’s meeting lobbying for continued support of the local agricultural community.

Dufferin County SCIA’s Annual General Meeting was held on February 22nd, 2023, with multiple guest speakers and a seed show component. They had the largest increase in membership of any county in the region as a result of this meeting – a promising start to the year.
March 3rd, 2023, was North Simcoe SCIA’s annual Seed & Feed Show. They noted that turnout for entries was just about at pre-covid levels, and they also enjoyed several guest speakers during the day.
The Georgian Region Annual General Meeting was held virtually on April 6th 2023. At this meeting updates to the constitution were confirmed and plans were initiated for a virtual summertime social event to be hosted by the region.
The Bruce & Grey County SCIA’s both participated in children’s ag education day in April 2023 at ‘Roots of Bruce’ and ‘Grown in Grey’. They created exhibits which taught grade school children about cropping practices in the area.
On July 6th, 2023, Forage Expo was held at the farm of a Bruce SCIA member. Despite a steady downpour of rain throughout the day, they had good attendance and were able to demonstrate some of the equipment lined up. Bruce County SCIA partnered with the Ontario Forage Council to put the day together, with Soil & Crop volunteers acting as the hands on the ground for things like parking and organization of the lunch.
Bruce’s second summer event happened on July 11th with a very successful Mystery Bus Tour. Michelle Durnin rode along as their agronomist for the day. The bus trip started out in the Paisley area and toured through farms, included a bag lunch, and rounded out with a BBQ at a member farm.
North Simcoe SCIA held a crop walk on July 13th and their annual summer bus tour from July 17th to 20th. The bus tour took them up to the Algoma district with roughly 50 people along!
The annual Grey SCIA Crop Walk was held July 18th at a farm near Annan ON. A great team of people were involved in planning this with four soil pits dug, plus stations for cover crops, soybean plots and wheat plots too. Many OMAFRA staff and local agronomists lent their expertise for the event by guiding discussion at each of the ‘stops’ and answering questions. The MSTS trailer was an excellent asset for the soil pit discussions, allowing a larger crowd to see close up details without needing to be right next to the pit. The day was very well attended.
On July 27th, 2023, Georgian Region held its virtual event, being a ‘Soil Health Open Discussion Night’ with Dr. Lee Briese. Dr. Briese was an enthusiastic, engaging presenter who took many questions and allowed his presentation to be made publicly available through the Grey Ag YouTube channel afterwards.
North Simcoe’s Annual General Meeting was held December 8th in Elmvale.
Grey County’s Winter Meeting & AGM rounded out the year on December 15th in Rocklyn.
The Region continues to publish its own newsletter in March, June, September and November, which is sent out alongside The Innovator. Roughly 45 members still receive their copies in print form. The rest are delivered electronically via the regional landing page, and an emailed pdf version. Typical issues of the newsletter include a member spotlight, county updates, guest articles, upcoming events listings, and a view from a local agronomist’s perspective. We are very grateful to our eight major sponsors who support regional activities and are recognized with advertising space in the newsletter and on the landing page.
Looking forward to another great year of all things Soil & Crop,
Emily McKague on behalf of Grey Ag Services
Regional Communication Coordinator, Georgian Central Region
Golden Horseshoe Region – Nancy van Sas
Regional Communication Coordinator – Janice Janiec stepped down after a decade in the role of RCC. Nancy Van Sas stepped into the role starting in January 2023.
Midwest Ag Conference – members of Golden Horseshoe worked closely with Heartland and OMAFRA staff to host the Midwest Ag Conference at RIM Park in Waterloo January 19, 2024. The Soil Focus Day had 230 participants with 16 Trade Show sponsors represented.

County Activities
BRANT
June 29, 2023
- Brant held an evening meeting focusing on their dosimeter trials in wheat following the producers outlined in Marijka Van Andel’s thesis Development of a Simple and Affordable Method of Measuring Ammonia Volatilization from Land Applied Manures. This Knowledge Sharing Event also featured Colin Elgie discussing the nitrogen cycle. The dosimeter trial was carried out by Brant Directors
January 26, 2024
- Brant AGM & Winter Meeting. Topics included the results of the pilot dosimeter trial in wheat and corn, erosion and the flow of water by Kevin McKague, and Soybean Loss Trials by Jake Munroe
HALDIMAND
September 5, 2023
- Haldimand held a combine clinic in joint collaboration with Hamilton-Wentworth. The clinic focused on the maintenance and care of John Deere and Case combines.
January 29, 2024
- Haldimand held their AGM &Winter Meeting with Mel Lymes introducing the topic of drainage, a proposed field day for September 5, 2024
HALTON
August 29, 2023
- A field day and plot tour in Palermo testing the new PurYield coating produced in St. Thomas Ontario
January 16, 2024
- Halton and Peel AGM and Winter Meeting featuring Jason Deveau and the result of the PurYield Research Trial
HAMILTON-WENTWORTH
March 23, 2023
- Planter School focusing on planter and meter adjustments and maintenance, as well as planter performance
January 24, 2024
- Hamilton-Wentworth AGM & Winter Meeting featuring Biostimulants 101 and a Farmer Spotlight
NIAGARA PENINSULA
February 15, 2023
- This day marks the joining of Niagara North and Niagara South to form the newly formed Niagara Peninsula SCIA at their AGM & Winter Meeting.
August 24, 2023
- Summer Twilight Meeting touring Escarpment Renewables Anaerobic Digestion Facility and a Tillage Demon and Soil Health Talk featuring Chris Brown
January 17, 2024
- Niagara held their AGM virtually with the desire to shift their winter meeting to the summer months
NORFOLK
August 3, 2023
- Norfolk held a successful compaction day focusing on sand soils, working with the Ontario Compaction Team. The two days leading up to the event included weighing and testing the equipment, with the third day the show day where 180 were in attendance.
January 30, 2024
- Norfolk AGM with the announcement of a Grower’s Day on March 5th presenting the result of the Compaction Day and launching the 2024 event of Irrigation Day scheduled for June 25, 2024.
PEEL
February 28, 2023
- Farm Safety Workshop held by Peel SCIA focused on keeping your equipment safe on the road and rules of the road by OPP
January 16, 2024
- Joint AGM and Winter Meeting with Halton. Dr. Jason Deveau discussed sprayer technology on drones.
East Central Region – Neil Moore

The ECSCIA began about 1964 and now includes Durham Region + Hope Township from Northumberland County, Peterborough, and Victoria (City of Kawartha Lakes) and Haliburton Counties, and York Region was added in 2001.
The Annual East Central Farm Show (42st) was held in the Commonwell Exhibition Building, Lindsay fairgrounds on March 1,2. Attendance was about 80% of usual. No show in 2021.
The County Soil & Crop Improvement Association memberships were promoted, and 103 memberships sold (about 60% of past due to price increase). Members get in free.
ECSCIA uses some of the Farm Show proceeds to provide $1000 Scholarships (6 for 2014 to 2016, 3 for 2017, 9 for 2018, 6 for 2019, 12 for 2020 and 2021, 6 for 2022), and up to $1100 for County SCIA and 4-H clubs in the East Central area to assist with projects. 23 4-H crop club members were supported $50 each.
4 newsletters were sent to about 400 ECSCIA members and previous members. Over 80% only by email.
The East Central SCIA web site hosts newsletters, coming events, project information, and links updated to new information online https://regionalscia.org
Weather data from co-operators in the member counties including some from Quinte Region. Presented the data in newsletters and online https://regionalscia.org/weather-html/.
Attended County annual and director meetings, presented updates. Attendance down some from before pandemic. Peterborough held a tillage day. York held their annual corn BBQ summer meeting with excellent attendance.
Neil Moore, Secretary-Treasurer, and RCC
East Central Region Soil & Crop Improvement Association
705-324-2594
nmoore361@gmail.com
Quinte Region – Jennifer Nash
Quinte Soil and Crop Improvement Association encompasses Northumberland, Hastings, Lennox & Addington, and Prince Edward counties. Collectively, we have sixty active or pending members. One of our goals for 2024 is to increase our membership base by encouraging approximately one–hundred and thirty lapsed members to renew.
I assumed the Regional Communications duties in July 2023. Three–quarters of my time since involved organizing and assisting with events and activities to strengthen the local and regional Associations and build member engagement.

Events & Member Benefits
Cover Crop Webinar
In March, Quinte SCIA collaborated with the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan (BQRAP) group to host a webinar on cover crop use in the region. A panel of local farmers discussed why and how they are using cover crops, what’s worked on their farms, and what hasn’t. This event provided great practical information in a local context.
Fertility Workshop
Colin Elgie, OMAFRA Soil Fertility Specialist, led a workshop in April that covered how to read and interpret a soil test, how to develop a fertilizer plan, and how one might adjust that plan when fertilizer prices are high. The workshop was well–received, and plans are in the works to follow up with more in–depth sessions.
Crop Knowledge Share Day
Jim McComb, President of Hastings and Lennox & Addington SCIA lead the organizing of a Crop Knowledge Share Day at Jeff Harrison’s farm in Quinte West on August 17th. Speakers included ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson. Topics included starting wheat right and finishing strong, soybean herbicide strategy postmortem and outlook for 2024, nitrogen placement:, where is it now, and how to capture the leftovers with cover crop. The event was a registered Knowledge Sharing Event (KSE) for farmers under the On-farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF).
Hastings County Farm Show & Plowing Match
Quinte shared a booth at the Hastings County Farm Show & Plowing Match for two days on August 23rd and 24th alongside Quinte Conservation, Lower Trent Conservation, and the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan teams. We used the opportunity to connect with farmers and suppliers, sell memberships and advance Compaction Day tickets.
Compaction Day
Quinte hosted a Compaction Day on September 7th at Hunco Farms in Cobourg.
Roughly one–hundred and thirty farmers, speakers and sponsors gathered to share and learn about the realities of soil compaction in modern farming, and what can be done about it.
The morning included three interactive sessions on tire technology and how to choose the right tire setup, how the right cover crop mix can mitigate compaction, and how farmers can assess their own soils by looking below the surface.
The main event in the afternoon was the compaction sensing demonstration utilizing the OSCIA Mobile Soil Technology Suite and OMAFRA Soil Compaction Team. A variety of farm equipment rolled over sensors installed 6, 10 and 20–inches below ground in wet and dry conditions. Data from the sensors were displayed on a high–resolution screen. Spectators could see―in real time―the potential of each tire and track to compact the soil at the three depths. Steve Sickle and Warren Schneckenburger―OSCIA’s current and past presidents, respectively―were on hand to explain and discuss with the crowd implications in the context of real–world farming. Head–to–head comparisons were made between radials, VF tires, and tracks on grain buggies. Spectators learned that large, heavy equipment can have a relatively small impact on the soil with the right setup, while a small piece of equipment on the wrong tires can be surprisingly poor. Both Warren and Steve have made changes to equipment on their own farms based on what they learned at past events held elsewhere in the province. Changes that resulted in significant economic returns.
Quinte Compaction Day was a fantastic learning opportunity for all involved.
Recruitment
Quinte purchased a Square Reader. This technology allows us to offer members additional methods of payment using Debit or Credit Cards. Membership fees and event ticket sales are deposited directly into the appropriate local SCIA bank account.
Website
Steps necessary to regain control of Quinte’s website have been taken. We look forward to improving the design and functionality of the site in 2024.
Social Media
X (Twitter) is monitored daily. Relevant OSCIA tweets are reposted, and the platform continues to be a key component for Quinte’s promotional activities.
Promotion
A new MailChimp account was set up to push notifications out to members in the region through email. Our email open rate is averaging sixty– two percent. This platform is being used to communicate local, regional, and provincial information.
Work began on a standardized membership package that can be used by each of our three local SCIAs. We’ve ordered new membership cards and pins and created a hard–copy membership form to record financial transactions. The package will allow us to quickly collect member data at busy registration tables during events or when an internet connection is unavailable. The package will also include the Staples Business Discount card, as well as a printout of the ‘Why join OSCIA as a member?’ slide from the 2023 Director’s slide deck.
Sponsorship
Quinte began building new relationships with sponsors as part of Compaction Day. Post event, a few sponsors reached out to us to ask, ‘what’s next?’, which is encouraging. We thank the sponsors without whom Compaction Day would not have taken place and look forward to working with them in the future: OSCIA, Tirecraft, TreadRight, Michelin, Hunco Farms, TCO Agromart Ltd, Deerhaven Farm & Garden, Ganaraska Grain, Scotiabank, Squirrel Creek Farm Services Ltd, Campbellford Farm Supply, Farm Credit Canada, CanGrow Crop Solutions, County Farm Centre, The Farmer’s Edge Agri-Coaching and Fastenal.
Submitted by Jenn Nash
Regional Communications Coordinator, Quinte
qscia.rcc@gmail.com, 705-991-3909
Gord Speksnijder
Provincial Director, Quinte (outgoing, acting RCC)
gspeksnijder@ontariosoilcrop.org, 289-251-2990
Eastern Valley Region – Tracy Myers
The Eastern Valley Soil and Crop Improvement Association is comprised of five counties: Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott and Russell. Currently these counties have a combined membership of approximately 300 which includes those individuals who receive the quarterly newsletter The Innovator and bi-weekly Grassroots Matters, that is sent via email. While each of the five counties actively participate in their own activities there has been increased interest in moving forward with more regional activities which would ultimately involve a larger number of the membership. Eastern Valley is currently planning a major event for July of 2024, that being “Forage Expo”, which will be held in Prescott county. We look forward to hosting this event and engaging with our Soil and Crop community.

During 2023, Eastern Valley local associations used hybrid communication strategies, using the Zoom and Teams platforms, along with some in-person local events. Our virtual Regional annual meeting, in 2023, included common reports delivered to the group. Discussion on hosting a Regional event, during the summer, sparked many new and innovative suggestions.
Eastern Valley directors are continually working closely with our OMAFRA Specialists, who are an important part of our regional team and support us in many ways. Our Provincial Director, Alan Kruszel, is a great asset to our region and provides us with much support as well.
During 2023, as Regional Communication Coordinator, I was also involved in the following:
- Communicating with the directorship of EVSCIA, to overview the past year’s successes and to continue with our mandate of creating a more visible regional association that will continue to work with the five counties.
- Promoted county annual meetings, and offered assistance to the local associations, where required and requested. This was valuable to aid in future planning.
- Supported our provincial newsletter, The Innovator, by writing articles of interest to the general membership
- Assisted with recruitment of membership as well as maintaining a master membership list from information provided by the local associations.
- Attended 2023 virtual Provincial Annual meeting as well as the Regional Communication Coordinator (RCC) training sessions.
- Participated in other communications as required by OSCIA
- Worked closely with our regional EFP/GYFP coordinator to ensure that membership of Eastern Valley were aware of upcoming workshops.
- Investigated new sponsorship potential.

On behalf of the Eastern Valley Soil and Crop Improvement Association I would like to express my gratitude to the staff and directors of OSCIA and to OMAFRA staff who have assisted our region with their valuable input and support. We look forward to the ongoing communication in 2024.
Tracy Myers
Regional Communication Coordinator
Eastern Valley Soil and Crop Improvement Association
613-363-4119 (cell)
tracy.myers@live.com
Ottawa-Rideau – Kelsey Banks

The Ottawa-Rideau region of OSCIA includes 6 local associations – Leeds, Grenville, Ottawa-Carleton, Renfrew, Frontenac, and Lanark.
Throughout 2023 the Ottawa-Rideau region of OSCIA was kept busy focusing on member recruitment, retainment and sharing knowledge.
Listed are some of the highlights held across the region:
Renfrew – Renfrew SCIA Bus Tour
In July, Renfrew SCIA hosted a bus tour that went to Quebec to learn more about and tour on of the largest organic farms in Canada, a large on-farm retail and market garden and finished the day with a maple syrup presentation with a sugar shack evening meal.
Grenville – Farm Family Day
In August, Grenville SCIA held a Farm Family Day on a local farm bringing together the farming community to celebrate agriculture. The day featured guest speakers discussing all things soybeans, tours of a new dairy facility all while connecting and networking with other farm families in the area.
Lanark – Seed Show
Lanark SCIA held an outstanding seed show and an even stronger showing at the Championship Seed Show where they were able to take top overall county.
2023 was a great year and we hope to continue sharing knowledge about OSCIA and give growers the tools and resources they need to succeed in 2024.
Kelsey Banks, Secretary & Regional Communication Coordinator
Ottawa-Rideau Region Soil & Crop Improvement Association
613-295-9931
orrscia@gmail.com
Northeastern Ontario – Leia Weaver
NOFIA has acted as the RCC for Northeastern Ontario since 2015. In this capacity, NOFIA has worked to improve awareness and access to OSCIA funding and The Innovator through the provincial office.

Activities:
- Assist in producing 4 issues of The Innovator and regional content for the Northeast landing page, meeting all applicable deadlines; issues included agricultural innovation and technology transfer, per OMAFRA/OSCIA agreement.
- Worked with local associations to develop Tier 1 projects & build local capacity (i.e. worked with Temiskaming Crop Coalition to assist with accessing funding for their bus for their tour July 20, 2023)
- Convened stakeholders at the Northern Ontario Ag Conference in person conference February 15 & 16 2023 in Sudbury to facilitate technology transfer and networking, featuring various research projects taking place in the north.
- Attended association events across the region, including AGMs and crop tours.
- Participated in West Nipissing-East Sudbury Soil Fertility and Tech Day on soil sampling and variable rate technology with representatives from OMAFRA and the Co-op Regionale.
- Maintained membership & mailing lists, updating upon receipt of district lists, and assisting associations with the transition to the new membership platform.
In 2023, we submitted the final report for Crop Advances on AGTIV Mycorrhizal Inoculant Evaluation on Potatoes. NOFIA and NEOSCIA thank OSCIA and OMAFRA for providing funding to support this project.
NOFIA and the NEOSCIA are looking forward to another great year in 2024, further improving our membership databases, building and strengthening agricultural communities within Northern Ontario through the Northern Ontario Ag Conference, and providing tech transfer and educational opportunities to farmers in the north.
Leia Weaver, NOFIA
RCC Northeastern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario – Rachel Kehoe
Activities:
o Assist in producing articles for The Innovator
o Assisted in planning and implementation of the Spring Farm Conference in Thunder Bay
o Assisted in planning of AGMs
o Applied for a Tier 2 in partnership with Lakehead University and the Thunder Bay Community Pasture for project to begin 2024-2027. (In cooperation with NOFIA)
o Attended association events across the region, including Summer crop tours and AGMs
o Maintained membership & mailing lists, updating upon receipt of district lists and assisting associations with the transition to the new membership platform

Thunder Bay hosted the Spring Farm Conference in April 2023. With a variety of engaging speakers, a full tradeshow and plenty opportunity to network. It was attended by approximately 100 people each day.
Thunder Bay hosted a crop tour on August 1. The day began at the Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station to see what trials have been ongoing during the 2023 season, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, we visited a variety of crop fields as well as one of the local potato farms to view their new potato planter. Rainy River had their tour on August 2. The day started with lunch at Purity Seeds, followed by numerous field visits, the Gwillimdale Farm, and one of the grain elevators. Although the Kenora local did not host an official tour, I was able to visit a local farm in the Dryden area and view a few of their fields. Overall the crop tours we very informative and well attended.
We look forward to the 2024 year full of member events and tours.
Rachel Kehoe
Northwestern Ontario Regional Communication Coordinator
northwest.scia@gmail.com