Special Initiatives Projects

Lead Applicant: Richard G. Zytner

Research Priority: Soil Health

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Exploring policies and practices used by jurisdictions outside of Ontario to identify improvements for the management of non-agriculture source materials from the processing of various foods.

Lead Applicant: Asim Biswas

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Building on Ontario's topsoil sampling program by adding more soil samples, developing a dataset for Ontario's soils, and developing a soil health assessment tool.

Lead Applicant: Glenn Fox

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Developing an Ontario-specific inventory of rural municipal drainage infrastructure that will include information such as length, state of repair and new construction.

Lead Applicant: Thomas Graham

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Understanding light pollution coming from year-round greenhouses and exploring ways to reduce it without compromising crop health or economic outcomes.

Lead Applicant: Erica Pensini

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Gathering information about the type, size, location and use of grain crop dryers in Ontario and measuring their noise and particulate emissions.

Lead Applicant: Darren Robinson

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: Ontario Crop Research Centre- Elora & Ridgetown

Research Summary: Exploring approaches to improve the success of terminating cover crops in the spring and examining cover crop tolerance to corn herbicides.

Lead Applicant: Laura Van Eerd

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Gathering cover crop research evidence to identify solutions to accelerate their adoption in Ontario cropping systems.

Lead Applicant: Bill Van Heyst

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Evaluating odours produced during cannabis production and assessing odour control technologies.

Lead Applicant: Claudia Wagner-Riddle

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Improving sustainability indicators of Ontario's agri-food system by adding environmental and social components to the traditional economic focused evaluation.

Lead Applicant: Brandon Gilroyed

Research Priority: Trade, Market & Targeted Sector Growth Opportunities

Program Type: Special Initiatives Projects

Funding Cycle: 2020/2021

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Understanding the market conditions and drivers of adopting small-scale anaerobic digestion—a process in which microorganisms break down organic matter to produce biogas—on farms.