Partner spotlight: Ontario Soil Network
At FoodBridge, we believe that trust, collaboration, and on-the-ground wisdom are the foundation of real agricultural change. Few organizations embody these values more fully than the Ontario Soil Network (OSN) — a farmer-led initiative dedicated to advancing soil health, peer learning, and systems transformation across Ontario. We’re proud to work alongside OSN in an emerging supply chain collaboration in southern Ontario… Stay tuned!
Rooted in the philosophy that “the best knowledge lives in the field,” OSN empowers farmers to lead, connect, and experiment. Their mission is clear and powerful: to build healthier soils for healthier farms—today and for generations to come. By supporting practical innovation through peer-to-peer learning, rolling experiments, and a relationship-first approach, OSN helps unlock the potential of Ontario agriculture in a way that is both environmentally and economically sustainable.
Tori Waugh, Executive Director of OSN, emphasizes that the network’s approach is grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour and emerging social network research. This means OSN intentionally focuses on the three core drivers of behavioural change:
- Shaping farmers’ attitudes toward soil practices.
- Reinforcing positive social norms within peer groups.
- Reducing the perceived barriers to action.
Their work creates the conditions for behaviour change by embedding support, credibility, and cultural relevance into every touchpoint. “Redundancy is king,” she shared, describing how change moves not through explosive moments, but like a well-rooted plant—spreading steadily through strong, overlapping connections. It’s this social architecture that makes OSN’s work so effective. As she noted, “Recruitment into our programs isn’t one-size-fits-all—it requires tailored, customized value offerings that reflect where each farmer is coming from. To truly support them, we need to establish trust and build solid relationships from day one. That’s what sets the foundation for real, long-term change.”
Through their programming, OSN cultivates high-touch relationships that go beyond workshops and field trials. “Farmers stay engaged,”, explains Tori, “because they see real value—both in the agronomic ideas and in the cultural support they receive from one another.,”
The OSN’s innovative FIRE program (Farmer Innovation & Research Ecosystem) supports real-world trials and validation, helping to bridge the gap between agritech innovation and on-farm application. It also partners with Foresight Canada through the agriNext initiative to support emerging agtech ventures by identifying real-world soil health and nutrient management challenges and embedding farmer perspectives early in the innovation process. This ensures that product development is rooted in practical, field-tested needs—minimizing misalignment and maximizing impact.
As a trusted partner in multi-stakeholder efforts to scale regenerative agriculture in Ontario, OSN plays a vital role in farmer recruitment, incentive disbursement, and trust-based data collection. Its deep relationships with growers and reputation for integrity make the OSN an essential bridge between grassroots leadership and broader sustainability goals.
When we anchor collaborative efforts in real relationships and farmer-driven insight, we make regenerative practice adoption both credible and scalable, says Tori.
Looking ahead, OSN and FoodBridge share a vision: that environmental outcomes—once viewed as externalities—will become embedded within the value of crops across Ontario and beyond.
Watch a short video about the OSN and FoodBridge’s collaborative approach
