New work at Huronview Demo Farm
Construction planned at Huronview Demo Farm to further evaluate best practices
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association plans visit to demo farm site on August 14
A partnership of the agricultural sector, the drainage industry, and local agencies continues to evaluate the water quality and economic impacts of different best management practices and innovative drainage techniques at Huronview Demonstration Farm near Clinton, Ontario.
A construction project is taking place this summer (2026) as agricultural producers from Huron County Soil and Crop Improvement Association (HSCIA) work with staff from Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) to demonstrate sub-irrigation. They will do this by leveraging existing water retention areas and 22 control gates.
The most recent on-the-ground research builds upon the innovative drainage infrastructure first installed in 2019. These innovations include contour tiling; control gates; pattern tiling at different spaces; wetlands; and diversion terraces.
Peter Nonkes is HSCIA President.
“Huronview Demonstration Farm is a place where we can farm and produce crops in a real-world setting while collecting valuable data and evaluating different drainage structures and different cropping practices," he said. "We can look at these different techniques from the perspective of crop yields and the management of stormwater on the fields."
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) is planning its Summer Farm Day and Tour to Huron County August 14-15, 2026.
They visit the Huronview Demon Farm site for a field day on Friday, August 14, 2026.
Huron Soil and Crop looks forward to welcoming agricultural producers to Huronview Demonstration Farm on August 14.
This will be an opportunity to showcase lessons learned during the past few years as well as to update people on the new project to better understand best management practices for tile drainage.
“Tiling and the good farm management practices have brought us from 94 to 238, 44 to 54 and 59 to 119 bushels per acre, for corn, beans and wheat, respectively," said Rick Kootstra, Kootstra Farms Ltd and Huronview Farm Manager.
The partners in the Huronview Demonstration Farm project are measuring different management practices to store and recycle this water over the dry part of the year.
Partners in the project also include three University of Guelph Master of Science Students working to understand the role that groundwater plays in tile-drained systems. The partners are also keeping track of soil conditions and how effective the other best management practices are in terms of water quality and agricultural productivity.
The current project at Huronview Demo Farm is made possible thanks to funding support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Huronview Demonstration Farm is located at 77722 London Road, behind the Huron Perth Public Health office at the Huronview complex. The demonstration farm is owned by the County of Huron and managed by local farmers from HSCIA.
To learn more visit the Huronview Demo Farm website.
For more information and to register for the OSCIA Summer Farm Day and Bus Tour summer meeting please visit the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association website.
