In December 2024, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness (OMAFA) released the Ontario Topsoil Sampling Project: Soil Health Baseline Study (OTSP) report. This report sets out baseline information for indicators of soil health in Ontario. The study provides valuable insights into how land management and environmental factors affect topsoil, helping farmers make informed decisions to improve soil health and productivity.
Initiated in 2019, the OTSP involved sampling topsoil at over 500 farms across southern Ontario and some select sites in the north. Three samples were taken at each site to reflect landscape and soil variability, resulting in more than 1,500 samples being collected and analyzed. The project also included land management surveys, soil and landscape descriptions, and laboratory analysis.
The report highlights key soil health indicators such as soil organic matter, active carbon, potentially mineralizable nitrogen, respiration, aggregate stability and particle size analysis, and the factors that influence them, including soil texture, cropping systems and landscape position. A key finding was that fine-textured soils often have higher-than-ideal bulk density, indicating widespread compaction. Compacted soils limit root growth, reduce water infiltration, and can lower yields and profits.
“This report represents a major step forward in our understanding of Ontario’s agricultural soils,” said Daniel Saurette, Land Resource Specialist at OMAFA. “Soil health is a generational challenge. Managing soil health today is an investment for future generations.”
With this new baseline, producers can compare their own soil data, identify areas for improvement, and adopt best practices to enhance soil health over time. Scoring curves (e.g., Figure 1) help in the interpretation of soil health indicators that are specific to Ontario conditions.
Figure 1. Scoring curves for coarse, medium, and fine textured soils for soil organic matter based on data from the OTSP.
View the report here or view its interactive dashboard (Figure 2) featuring all other OMAFA soil products at the Ontario Soils Geohub. For more information, contact OMAFA at ontariosoilsurvey@ontario.ca or (226) 979-4407.
Figure 2. A screenshot of the Ontario Topsoil Report Dashboard.