Definity Insurance tours ALUS farms in Ontario to learn how farmers are using nature-based climate solutions to protect their operations from severe weather.
Definity Financial Corporation is committed to building community resilience. As the parent company to Economical, one of Canada’s long-standing property and casualty insurance companies, Definity is committed to helping people and communities adapt and thrive.
In 2024, Definity renewed their support of ALUS with a $500,000 grant to support farmers in building resilience to climate change through nature-based climate solutions. This summer, members from the Definity and Economical team got to see firsthand how nature is helping farmers manage weather events on their farms in Ontario. Here’s what they saw.
One acre saves eight
Photo: An acre perimeter of tallgrass prairie protects the interior eight acres from soil erosion on Joe Csoff’s farm.
Joe Csoff’s farm experienced persistent washouts during high-intensity storms. Rainwater run-off would carry large amounts of topsoil off the field into a nearby creek. Managing the damage was expensive and affecting the health of the creek. With help from ALUS, Joe planted a one-acre perimeter in tallgrass prairie, including species like big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, and switchgrass. Joe also reforested the creekbank with nearly 800 native trees, like white pine, red oak and black oak, to stabilize the soil and provide connectivity to an existing Carolinian woodlot. Both the tallgrass prairie and the trees provide habitat for wildlife and protection from wind and water erosion. Flooding has no longer been an issue for Joe, and the creek is thriving because of it.
“I gave up one acre of land, but it’s protected the other eight,” says Joe. “The brown trout are back!”
Buffer protects crops and creeks
Chris Verhoeve runs a 180-acre corn, soy and rye cash crop operation on his 250-acre farm. When Chris bought the property, soil erosion was a real problem. Wind and rain would wash topsoil off the fields into nearby Deer Lake Creek, which empties into Big Creek. Chris joined ALUS the year he bought the farm. His first ALUS project was planting buffer strips along the field edges that runs along the ravine. He immediately saw a reduction in waterflows across the field and less soil and nutrient in the creek. Chris now has 13.5 acres of ALUS projects, and he’s started seeing great horned owls, bald eagles and even Blanding’s turtles on the property, which are considered endangered.
“Our ALUS projects have changed the way we work the land,” says Chris. “Wherever there were unproductive areas, we changed them into ALUS projects and never looked back.”
Putting nature to work on the farm
Former ALUS Norfolk Chair, Chris Van Paassen, has integrated nature into several areas of his farm as a solution to challenges many farmers face: soil erosion, flooding and nutrient loss. His farm is often used as a demonstration site to showcase the effectiveness of nature in keeping valuable soil and nutrients on the field. Chris planted cool season buffer strips around the perimeter of the farm to keep soil in place. These buffers work within existing farm operations, withstanding human and vehicle disturbance to allow access during crop inspection. He’s also added a wetland and sediment pond to slow water flows and mitigate flooding. All of Chris’ projects create habitat for wildlife, like reptiles, birds, and amphibians, which is important to Chris. For his next project, Chris plans to plant a tallgrass prairie to provide habitat for at-risk snakes.
Photo: The sediment pond mitigates flooding on the farm to support farm operations and minimize erosion.
Investing in farmers as solutions providers
Farmers are stepping up as solutions providers, using their land, skills and knowledge to build climate resilience on the farm and in upstream and downstream communities. The farmers Definity met on their tour are part of a growing agricultural community committed to creating, protecting and conserving nature on farmland. Over 1,750 ALUS farmers and ranchers across the country are actively stewarding nature-based projects to help solve the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. ALUS is grateful for the Definity Insurance Foundation’s commitment to recognizing and supporting ALUS farmers and ranchers as important nature and climate solutions providers producing environmental and social benefits for people and communities.
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