The Rural Voice, 2006-09, Page 11Long -Term Thinking
for Today's Issues
Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario
7660 Mill Rd., RR 4 Guelph, ON N1H 6J1
Voice: (519) 837-1620 Fax: (519) 824-1835
Email: cffomail@christianfarmers.org
Web: www.christianfarmers.org
Creating Public Assurance on Nutrient Management
Farmers are responsible stewards of our natural resources.
Here is how we plan to demonstrate that to the public.
Preamble:
Farmers take seriously their role as stewards of the earth's natural resources. And they are willing to
demonstrate to the public that its interests are being served through farmers' cultivation of crops and
livestock.
The CFFO believes that the farm community is capable of providing public assurance regarding
water quality without the need for complex and costly government regulations.
In particular, the CFFO believes that Ontario's Nutrient Management Act is heavy-handed, costly
and doesn't suit the wide variety of farms across the province. In addition, with the introduction of
source water protection legislation, there is little merit for pursuing the application of nutrient
management regulations on farms under 300 nutrient units, or for new and expanding farms.
The CFFO believes that the Act needs to be replaced with a fresh piece of legislation that enables
farmers to establish a new self -driven process to provide the public with assurance regarding
farmers' impact on the environment. Our organization calls it the Agricultural -Environmental
Standards of Operation Act.
Principles:
As farmers, we are willing to enshrine the following broad-based principles in the Act and to govern
our farming activities accordingly:
1. Water Testing. We are willing to test our water regularly. The water we use on our farm is part
of a water table that is wide in its geographic scope and is used by many people. By testing
water, farmers collectively keep track of water quality and can take remedial actions quickly if
needed.
2. Water Runoff from Barns and Fields. Runoff from our barns and fields has the potential to
impact water quality. We are willing to take proactive action regarding the routing and
management of runoff water from both fields and barns.
3. Keeping Track of What we Do on the Farm. Farmers regularly add nutrients to the soil that
require proper management to ensure an agronomic balance is maintained in the soil. We are
willing to keep records of agricultural practices that impact the soil and may affect water quality.
�. Making sure we do what we agree to do. Farmers not only need to make these commitments
to the public, they need to follow through on there. Farmers are willing to develop a process
within the farming community that tracks its uptake of these principles.
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