MFGA Aquanty Forecasting Tool featured in the National Post - "How a High-Tech Water Model is Future-Proofing Manitoba’s Farms, Soils and Grasslands"
As a farmer-led organization, Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) is extremely sensitive to the needs of those who rely on the land for their livelihood. But MFGA also recognizes that the economic pressures of our current reality do not always incentivize the practices that will keep Manitoba’s prairies healthy and productive for future generations. It’s time for a whole system approach to agricultural resiliency and soil health.
In this paid-for feature published in the National Post, MFGA and Aquanty use World Soil Day to bring attention to the important connection of water, grasslands and healthy soils and the positive impact that could be realized with the support of policy leaders, decision-makers and funders that the MFGA Aquanty Model can help resonate across Manitoba and the Prairie Provinces. It is cutting edge technology with the farmers and healthy farm lands front and center in the provision of incredible ecological goods and services to all of Canada.
Click here to read the feature in the National Post e-paper
This short feature is part of a wider “Agricultural Innovation” campaign which includes a Q&A with the Honorable Lawrence MacAuley (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and contributions from some of the most progressive and innovative organizations in the Canadian agricultural industry.
Q&A with the Honorable Lawrence MacAulay - Challenges and Innovation: Exploring Canada’s Agricultural Sector
MFGA & Aquanty - How a High-Tech Water Model is Future-Proofing Manitoba’s Farms, Soils and Grasslands
Ducks Unlimited Canada - Biodiversity is Food Security: Nature-based Solutions to Keep Canada Fed
Olds College of Agriculture and Technology - Growing for the Future: Olds College is Shaping Next Gen of Agriculture
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers - Greenhouse-Grown Vegetables Good for Economy, Consumers, and Planet
Natural Products Canada - Future-Proofing Canada’s Agri-Food Industry
Click here to read the full “Agricultural Innovation” media campaign!
The MFGA-Aquanty Forecasting Tool is a state-of-the-art hydrologic forecasting and water management tool designed to bolster and plan for producer, community, and industry resiliency. This user-friendly web application provides an agriculture-focused decision support tool that will allow stakeholders within Assiniboine River Basin (ARB) to obtain soil moisture, groundwater, and surface water forecasts for a 7-day forward-looking time interval. The forecasting tool is the product of over 7 years of collaboration between Aquanty and the MFGA.
“What the software does is simulate the movement of rainfall and snowmelt through the soil profile, over the land surface, through the river and stream channels, and through the groundwater system. The technology’s ability to simulate the integrated groundwater and surface water system gives us a much better ability to simulate water availability for crop growth. This is a leading-edge tool that helps farmers adapt their management practices in the face of more extreme climate. Nothing like this exists anywhere in the world other than Canada right now.”