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New Online Database Promotes Innovation in Tillage Management

March 10, 2008

Supporting innovation in agriculture is embedded into the mandate of OAC and its work with agricultural organizations across the globe.  This was also evident at the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) annual conference, February 19-20, with the unveiling of Tillage Ontario, an interactive, online database designed for comparing the effectiveness of various tillage systems on Ontario farms. 

Researchers Ken Janovicek from OAC’s Department of Plant Agriculture and Greg Stewart of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, developed the database, delivering on a vision of IFAO directors.     

Since 2006, IFAO has worked with Janovicek and Stewart to collect tillage data dating back to the mid-1980s.  The Tillage Ontario website makes data easily accessible and provides a practical tool for farmers, agronomists and others looking to evaluate or improve their tillage practices. 

“Bringing all this research data together and allowing for multi-site comparisons between different tillage systems puts statistics around crop yield and revenue, and gives Ontario farmers a starting point from which to make better informed tillage management decisions,” says Janovicek.  

IFAO President Kevin Eisses says the researchers have done a superb job of using the internet to help producers find a tillage system that works best in their operation.  The database can be accessed through the IFAO website at:  www.IFAO.com

The tillage database project is funded in part through contributions by Canada and the Province of Ontario under the Canada-Ontario Research and Development (CORD) Program, an initiative of the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework designed to position Canada’s agri-food sector as a world leader.