Managers of Ontario's community pastures will soon have access to funding to improve pastures, protect sensitive areas, and better control runoff through the announced Community Pastures Initiative.
Funded through the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP) under Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP), up to $5 million will be available for eligible community pastures to adopt best management practices and technologies that boost the quality of these lands for grazing animals, while also enhancing biodiversity and strengthening soil health for the long-term, says the Government of Ontario.
There are 11 community pastures across Ontario, encompassing 15,800 acres.
This initiative will support up to 100 per cent of eligible costs for the design, construction and maintenance of projects such as:
- Rotational grazing
- Improving pasture quality by planting resilient perennial forage crops
- Permanent grasslands (including forage)
- Riparian buffers and pollinator habitats
- Management of at-risk natural features
- Tree buffers and shelterbelts
- Integrated tree, forage and livestock grazing systems
- wetlands, water retention and runoff control
More information, including how to apply, will be available through the Ontario Forage Council, administrator of the program.
