Winter Webinar: Balancing Farmland Protection & Housing Supply

Sep 27, 2023

The increasing demand for housing supply and affordability in Ontario is leading to pressure on municipalities to develop their shrinking agricultural land base. At the same time, the need to preserve these food-producing landscapes is becoming increasingly critical in the face of climate change. This session explores the challenges and opportunities faced in balancing the need for housing with farmland protection while contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for municipalities.

Webinar attendees will learn about the current policies and practices in Ontario and other jurisdictions that have been successful in protecting farmland. By the end of the session, participants will have a deeper understanding of the complex issues at play, leaving with practical and innovative strategies for balancing these competing demands and ways to get involved in locally.

This webinar series will run from October to April.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.