Dufferin County farmers dig into practical solutions for soil health and farm energy use
Forward-thinking farmers are reshaping agricultural practices in our community with support from the Experimental Acres program. Delivered in collaboration with Grey County Agricultural Services, the program provides funding, technical assistance and soil testing to help local farmers test innovative methods and reduce barriers to on-farm experimentation.
This year, five Dufferin County farms are participating in the 2026 Experimental Acres program. This feature highlights two farms testing practical approaches to weed management, soil health, and reducing winter energy use on their farms.
Hockley Hank Farm & Garden (Mono, ON)
Henry van Oudenaren, locally known as “Hockley Hank,” owns and operates a charming garden and nursery, nestled in Mono’s Hockley area. His gardens boast incredible biodiversity, featuring over 350 varieties of bushes, shrubs, nut and fruit trees, and flowers, including both native and exotic varieties.
Henry has used black woven ground cover in his orchards for the past 6 years and is experimenting with white ground cover in his 2026 Experimental Acres project. Traditional black ground cover can provide excellent protection against weeds and detrimental overwintering insects, reducing the need for synthetic pesticides and herbicides; however, it can dry out the soil and raise temperatures too high for shallow-rooted plants like apples. “My goal is to see whether white groundcover offers the same benefits as black groundcover while also keeping the soil cooler,” said van Oudenaren. “It’s still too early for statistical conclusions, but it is so interesting and exciting to innovate and experiment like this.”
In a preliminary field observation taken on an overcast day beneath the white tarp measured, measured 21°C compared to 24°C under the black tarp, suggesting that white ground cover may be a viable solution to weed control without harming soil quality. However, the project is still in its early days, and Henry will continue to monitor weed growth, air temperature, rainfall, soil temperature, and moisture throughout the season to determine success.
Artistic Integrity Tattoo Ranch (East Garafraxa, ON)
Ian Greening runs a unique business setup that functions as both a tattoo shop and animal agritourism destination, featuring horses, ponies, goats, and two beautiful highland cows. Ian’s Experimental Acres project aims to reduce the energy needed to keep livestock water troughs from freezing. Using his creative thinking, he shares that he is “tackling the project using a step-by-step building mentality to solve problems as they arise.”
Currently, Ian uses traditional electric water heaters to warm his troughs and prevent freezing, which generates a large energy footprint and risks overloaded circuits in Dufferin County’s winter weather. To solve this, he is planning to construct a frost-protected geothermal livestock trough.
The clever design uses an insulated shaft dug below the frost line to capture geothermal heat; a stable temperature he estimates will be around 16°C year-round. He will semi-submerge a traditional water trough in this shaft and seal it with an insulated lid. A tube in the lid, sealed with an insulated floating he ball immediately returns to its original position, sealing the tank, preventing more water from flowing up and keeping the warm air in. The goal of this design is to save energy while protecting drinking sources from freezing. “It could be a gamechanger” says Greening, “it should save us time, effort, and electricity.”
Ian hopefully the sealed tank will have other benefits, including protection from algae and insects, reducing contamination. He will continue to monitor and record temperatures of the water in trough and compare it to his traditional, open troughs.
Although the projects address different challenges, both show how locally led experimentation can help farmers support soil health, reduce energy use, and build resilience to a changing climate.
Learn more
To read more about the Experimental Acres program or to read past program profiles, visit the Experimental Acres program website.
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