Oxford Stewardship award nominee - R.M. Matheson Farms
R.M. Matheson Farms – Improving the land for future generations
Farming is second nature to Ian and Scott Matheson, the owners of R.M. Matheson Farms. The family farm operation has expanded over the years, and the desire to be good stewards of the land has never wavered. Ian Matheson says they have completed several erosion control projects over the years under the Clean Water Program.
“Heavy rain has been a problem for us lately; the big rainfalls have been happening more frequently and causing some runoff issues on some of the rolling land that we have.”
R.M. Matheson Farms has undertaken several projects each year with land stewardship in mind. The farm operation has also participated in several cost-sharing programs through the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA). Ian says they have had great experiences working with the UTRCA.
“We have a great relationship with Upper Thames in helping us keep some of these more susceptible farms holding together the way they should be.”
They recently completed a project with the UTRCA on the back 30 acres of one farm, which had a significant slope, and heavy rainfall was causing land erosion. Tatianna (Lozier) and Brad (Hertner) from the UTRCA came out to survey the land and engineered a plan for installing a two-berm solution. Ian says the results have been great and recommends that other farmers utilize some of these programs.
“I wonder if sometimes people are hesitant to get the conservation authority involved, but we have had nothing but good experiences with them. They have been tremendous in helping us do these projects that are improving the land for future generations and helping us find the programs that are in place so that we can complete them without a high out-of-pocket cost.”
The Matheson family has been farming for generations. Ian says they recognize that this is valuable land they are sitting on.
“We are in the business of farming and want the best land that we can get. We are fortunate to be in Oxford County, which is some of the best land in Ontario, and we want to keep it that way for the next generations to come.”