Highview Farm – Soil & Water Management Project

This project has been entered as an illustration of some work done in Ontario. It is a synopsis of one of the many projects illustrated in the Ontario Stewardship Demonstration Areas Catalogue, at http://www.stewardship.on.ca
It is a typical beef farm with challenges presented at the headwaters of a creek. Many Best Management Practices have been implemented and thousands of people have seend the results.

Highview Farms is a 90 hectare beef operation located in the headwaters of Twenty Mile Creek. Since 1995, with the Lincoln Waterways Working Group (LWWG) and the landowner, Mr. Fred High, have worked to demonstrate best management practices for soil and water management, and improve water quality within the Twenty Mile watershed. The project emphasizes the importance of small headwater tributaries to the health of the ecosystem as a whole.
Long term monitoring data has shown a trend of high suspended solids and high phosphorus inputs during storm event runoffs. This farm demonstrates a variety of means to improve the quality of stormwater runoff. The soil conservation techniques that are employed are simple, effective and low cost. The demonstration uses natural channel design principles to create stable, low maintenance systems that improve water quality while managing agricultural drainage. Highview farms offers examples for both tiled and open waterway management.

1. Demonstrate the use of natural channel design principles to create stable, low maintenance systems.
2. Use grassed waterways, rock chutes and a water and sediment control basin to stabilize drainage channel, reduce gully erosion and reduce peak runoff flow.
3. Use riparian plantings and cattail wetland to filter soil and pollutants from runoff water and to provide wildlife habitat.
4. Use no-till planting, contour farming and woodlot management to reduce erosion, conserve moisture and to reduce productions costs.
5. Enable interested members of the public and agricultural industry to see these stewardship practices.

The initial challenges of bringing together partners that traditionally did not (and would not) work together, have been overcome.

Mr. High has noted that visitation has declined over the past year — particulary from a diverse range of schools. This is likely due to changes in the school program direction and school funding difficulties. However, he has seen consistent return use from teachers that have made the visit to his farm a regular part of their teaching. Mr. High is confident that this demonstration is very important and hopes to find new ways to maintain or increaase visitation.

A challenge noted by Mr. High is that many of the modifications used make the farm look less “neat”, which in our culture is not a positive value. Our society does not really appreciate that “Nature is messy”, and his farm alone can not change that misconception.

This demonstration is on a 200 Acre farm, and in Ontario farms of this size have challenges surviving. It is a challenge to demonstrate that the BMPs implemented on this farm contribute to the sustainability and economic viability of the farm — in ways that are tangible to other farmers.

The large group of partners (listed below) came together to assess the challenges and to each make tangible contributions to the solutions. The landowner was, and continues to be, extremely cooperative and is an excellent spokesperson for the benefits of using these practices.

Mr. High and his collaborators continue to watch for change on the farm and indications of the effect of the improvements that have been made. Each year adjustments are made, for example, large storms in the past few years showed that the retention pond was just barely adequate, so it was recently enlarged.

Highview Farm provides visitors to the site an opportunity to see the work that has been completed: stabilized drainage channels used to reduce erosion and protect access lanes; riparian plantings used to protect water quality by filtering soil particles from surface run-off; use of a cat-tail wetland to help filter pollutants from runoff water; grassed waterways to convey surface flow across cropland; rock chutes to control erosion in the channel and banks; a water and sediment control basin (WASCoB) to control gully erosion and reduce peak runoff flow volumes downstream; no-till planting to control erosion, conserve moisture and reduce crop production costs; woodlot management for wildlife habitat, timber production and water quality benefits; and the use water quality monitoring instruments and techniques.
Highview farm provides educational opportunities for school groups to learn about: Watersheds and Water Quality; Soil Management; Woodlots and Wildlife; and the Business of Farming.

Significant improvements are visible by comparing the before and after appearance of the landscape and water quality. In addition, environmental monitoring has been continued by Niagara College and McMaster University students that annually use the farm for field studies.

Fred High has been host for many group visits, and the improvements are visible to people who view it from the road. About 600-700 general visitors and up to 500 students visit each year. Mr. High also allows self-guide tours, providing a phone call is provided in advance.

The farm will remain as a demonstration site. Mr. High and his collaborators continue to monitor changes and design improvements. For example, in 2001 there are plans to make minor adjustments to the shape of the watercourse that feeds the retention pond and improve the engineering of the grassed waterway.

Mr. High would like to find ways to ensure that the demonstration continues to attract large numbers, as well as a diversity, of visitors. He continues to be a strong advocate for the collaborative approach among stewardship organizations.

The Project Planning and Delivery was accomplished by:
Lincoln Waterways Working Group, Farr Drainage Ltd., Highview Farms, Niagara North Soil & Crop Improvement Association, Niagara Private Land Stewardship Program, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Town of Lincoln, Vineland Quarries and Crushed Stone Ltd.

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
http://www.ontariostewardship.org
Fish & Wildlife Branch
Owen Williams
Stewardship Liaison
18 Winder Grove North
London, Ontario Canada
N6K 4K6
Phone: 519-675-7786
Email: owen.williams@mnr.gov.on.caHighview Farm
Mr. Fred High
3315 Regional Road 24
Jordan, Ontario Canada
L0R 1S0
Phone: 905-562-4377
Fax: 905-562-7161