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«.65 e fiwvw' , ive hundred farmers in seven areas of Ontario will begin filling out Environâ€" mental Farm Plans as part of a pilot project beginning ill 1993. The seven areas - ESSex, Oxford, Huron, Niagara North1 Hastings, Russell and Timiskarning - were chosen to reflect the broadest possible range of agricul- tural production and geographic diversity in the province. The Environmental Farm Plan project, like the Grower Pesticide Safety Course, repre- sents Ontario farmers' proactive approach to agriculture environmental issues. Through the release of "Our Farm Environmental Agenda” early in 1992, farmers defined sev- enteen key areas of environmental mncem to agriculture. By completing Environmental Farm Plans. farm families will be able to take a holistic. in-depth look at the environment on their farm, noting areas of potential enviâ€" ronmental risk and identifying simple solutions tailored to their operations. Who is putting the Farm Plans together? While the final say on the content of the Environmental Farm Plans is teservedfor the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition - the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Chris- tian Farmers Federation of Ontario. AGCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned About Re- sources and the Environment), and the Ontario Farm Animal Council - government agencies have provided welcome support for this farmer-driven effort. The Ontario Minis- tries of Agriculture and Food (OMAF). the Environment. and Natural Resources have devoted a great deal of staff time to compil- ing the technical infonnation included in the Farm Plan modules. Financial support for the 1993 pilot project is provided by Agriculture Canada. In addiâ€" tion, former Agriculture Minister Bill McKnight committed five million dollars of federal Green Plan money, over the next five years, to extending the Environmental Farm Plan process beyond the pilot stage. An 8 Home a Country. Spring 1993 Environmental Farm Plans: additional seven million Green Plan dollars will fund individual farmer initiatives to re- duce environmental risk and research needs identified by farmers through anonymous data from completed Farm Plans. What will Environmental Farm Plans look like? The Environmental Farm Plan document includes several modules. Farmers will fill out only those sections that apply to their own operation. The modules use a series of four statements which describe and rate various degrees of management as “Best” “Good,” “Fair” or "Poor." Farmers will select the statement which best describes their situ- ation. If the rating is “Poor” or “Fair,” the farmer will propose a realistic (economical and practical) solution to the problem. In some cases. the proposed solution may only slightly reduce the risk. but must meet the requirements of a “Good” rating. Any steps taken to reduce environmental risk are seen as a positive outcome of the Environmental Farm Plan process. The modules have been edited by a “Plain Writing Consultant,” so that they are very easy to understand and complete. The mod- ules include: Farmstead: CI Site Evaluation El Well Water Condition El Pesticide Storage El Fertilizer Storage and Handling El Petroleum Product Storage El Farmstead Waste Management El Household Waste Water Treatment El Agricultural Waste Storage C] Livestock Yard Management El Silage Storagi- D Milk Centre Washwater Management El Farmstead Air Impacts Field Level: El Soil Management CI Nutrient Management (Mineral) E] Nutrient Management (Organic) An Ontario Farm Community Initiative B y Mary Wiley El Horticultural Crop Management [I Field Crop Management D Pest Management El Stream, Ditch and Floodplain Management El Water Efficiency El Wetlands and Associated Fish and Wildlife El Woodlands and Associated Wildlife B Energy Efficiency Haw wilt farmers till out the Farm Plans? Farmers or farm partners wishing to fill out Environmental Farm Plans will begin by attending a half-day workshop designed to familiarize them with the farm planning process and explain environmental risk asâ€" ses sment. They will then fill out the applicable modules on their own, with the assistance of drop-in workshops with OMAF technical staff and farmer members of the local Soil and Crop Improvement Associa- tion. If warranted by local level demand special technical sessions will be set up con- sisting of tours or issue-specific instruction. When a farmer completes his or her Envi- ronmental Farm Plan, it can be reviewed by the Peer Review Committee of the local Soil and Crop Improvement Association to assnre that the modules were understood by the participant and the most practical solutions have been identified. The only copy of the completed Farm Plan will remain in the possession of the farmer. Simple, anonymous statistics, based on the completed Farm Plans. will be recorded on a county by county basis by the local Peer Review Committee. These statistics will help farm organizations to identify high-priority needs for research into environmental risk reduction and financial assistance to put high-cost solutions in place. 9 0 Mary Wiley is the Public Information Cit-ordinate. for AGCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment).