The St. Clair Region of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) will be hosting a Compaction Event on August 7th, 2025, at the Jackson Seed Service elevator in Rutherford, Ontario. This event is open to all interested and will feature the Ontario Compaction Team showcasing the impact of various tractors, combines, harvesters, and other equipment with different tire and track configurations on soil compaction.
The St. Clair Region, comprising Essex, Chatham-Kent, and Lambton Counties, represents over 6,100 farms and 1.5 million acres. Shawn Brenneman, Provincial Director for the St. Clair Region, says that the Compaction Event will be an opportunity to showcase the OSCIA's vision of farmers actively seeking, testing, and adopting optimal farm production and stewardship practices. "Within our vast region, farmers not only work with corn, soybean, and wheat, but also some unique crops and equipment," says Brenneman. "While there have been other compaction days across Ontario in previous years, our ability to showcase equipment used in tomato, sweet corn, pea, sugar beet, as well as traditional row crops, will help area farmers understand the long-term impacts of compaction, and how we can mitigate and relieve it."
© Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association
Al Sutherland of Jackson Seed Services believes the information and extension work the Soil and Crop Associations perform in Ontario are great for farmers. "This opportunity to bring a compaction day to an area of Southwestern Ontario with heavy clay soils is exciting to be a part of," says Sutherland. "The event should provide data that will give farmers a great visual of how equipment setups affect compaction on their farm. It's an event we think everyone can benefit from."
Besides the compaction portion of the event, other sessions will showcase a soil pit, cover crops, and tire issues and pitfalls. There will also be a sponsors area where companies can showcase products and technologies and interact with the over 300 farmers expected to be in attendance. The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance on Eventbrite (search "compaction"), $40 for OSCIA members, $60 for non-members. Registration on the day of at the door is $90, so get your tickets early! Lunch, included with your ticket, will be provided by Burns of Dresden. Growers can receive Knowledge Sharing Credits (KSE) and Certified Crop Advisors can receive Continuing Education Credits (CEU) by attending.
For more information:
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association 
oscia@ontariosoilcrop.org
www.ontariosoilcrop.org/