Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

We are looking for heavy clay soil to be used in the construction of a cricket pitch.  Turfgrass is planted on this heavy clay and then rolled with a heavy roller to make it rock hard so that a ball can be bounced off the surface.  Generally the clay content is 30 % or more..

I have looked through the ontario soil surveys and found that the brookston, Caistor, Lincoln and Haldimand clay types all seem to have heavy clay content.  What i'm having difficulty doing to finding access to these soils as most of the locations where they are present is farm land.  I thought i would post on these forums to see if anyone can help me out find a site where we can get access to some of this heavy clay soil.

Thanks .

Views: 1686

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

We have heavy clay soil contact me at Michaelradan@gmail.com

How much clay do you need for the cricket pitch?

Truckloads?

Well i would take as much as possible..but a would need at least a truckload

Responses on Twitter:


EricKaiser46:33am via Twitter for iPhone

@OntAg 30% clay is NOT heavy clay. Need 50%. Have lots. Dirt not for sale. Grow crops in it.


clayalloverAug 11, 8:34pm via Twitter for Android

@OntAg how much acreage? Is eastern ontario too far? Near Alfred college. Bearbrook clay. Some of it is that hard now


ClayAllover: just had a look at the profile of Bearbrook Clay...Wow..60-80% clay.  That is the kind of clay they use on Australian cricket pitches.  Does it shrink/swell...ie..crack when dry?  Its a bit far for us as we are closer to GTA but I wonder if we can raise enough funds to be able to truck some of it....Is there an area where it is accessible.

Only problem with going very heavy clay from what i've read is that it is very difficult to grow grass on it..specially since we roll it hard like concrete with a 2 tonne roller.

I'm also attaching a document that describes the ideal soil for a cricket pitch

Attachments:

There is some pretty heavy clay around Milton area.  You might be able to work something out with a developer in the area who is going to be building homes on the land.

As far as the best clay soil for Ontario conditions.  The University of Guelph Turfgrass Institute might be able to provide some advice.   http://www.guelphturfgrass.ca/

 

 

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Three Agricultural and Food Sciences profs recognized with emeriti title

Three retired faculty members were named professors emeriti in 2025 for their distinguished service to the University of Manitoba: Dr. Harold Aukema, Dr. Ying Chen and Dr. Qiang Zhang. The title is one of the University’s highest honours. Individuals are selected on their distinguished service to teaching, research, creative and scholarly works and service. Each of the awardees contributed to the Faculty and UM throughout their accomplished research and academic careers. Their nominations read: Harold Aukema, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences A dedicated faculty member for 26 years, Dr. Harold Aukema has made transformative contributions to nutritional science, becoming a global leader in the study of diet and fatty acid metabolites, known as oxylipins. His pioneering research has advanced understanding of dietary interventions for kidney health, directly shaping national and international dietary recommendations for polycystic kidney disease. He has published more than 150 peer-

Grow Canada: Strengthening our Voice, Sharpening our Tools

Grow Canada took place in Calgary, AB, December 2-4. It captured the best ideas from a sharp lineup of speakers and panellists, and built the kind of connections that turn good ideas into action. Connecting farmers, dietitians, industry and content creators, it connects everyone to talk about our agriculture industry and discuss the challenges it faces. The main themes were advocacy, artificial intelligence (AI) and inflation. Canadian agriculture is an economic engine that drives jobs, exports and innovation. Our story lands when we tell it consistently. That means increasing our lobbying efforts, showing up with data and farm-level examples, and making the economic case for stable rules, competitive infrastructure, and market access. Advocacy isn’t a side project; it’s risk management for our next decade. AI is like a wrench in the toolbox; useful when pointed at the right bolts. For best results, we need to be repetitive, rules-based, have documents prepared, regulatory submission

Stock Talks connect producers, municipal officials

When Curtis Vander Heyden of Picture Butte’s Grandview Cattle Feeders Ltd. attended Lethbridge County’s Stock Talks in October, he was prepared to discuss some of the challenges his family’s operation faces but did not expect immediate action. “I did attend the Lethbridge County Stock Talks and it led to the operations manager Ryan Thomson, reaching out and coming to one of my locations for a ‘one-on-one’ so we could both air our frustrations about the past management of the road infrastructure and elaborate on what we could change and work together on,” Vander Heyden says. He appreciated the opportunity to meet with a municipal official for a boots on the ground interaction. “It was the first time in recollected memory that anyone from the County of Lethbridge not only took the time, but actually asked for continued input,” Vander Heyden says. Indeed, the Stock Talks he attended provided an organized and moderated environment to have meaningful two-way discussions with municipal o

Province of Manitoba Commits Second Round of Funding for Gate

Cereals Canada today announced that it has received an additional $10.5 million in funding support from the Province of Manitoba for the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate). This investment brings the total pledged by the Province to $23.5 million. “I would like to thank the Province for its continued support of Gate, and Premier Wab Kinew for championing this project over the last nine months,” said Dean Dias, CEO of Cereals Canada. “Today’s announcement puts us another step closer to getting shovels in the ground at a critical time for Canadian agriculture.” Gate is a new $102-million, state-of-the-art facility being developed by Cereals Canada in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is envisioned as a world-class hub for research, training, and international collaboration to ensure the long-term competitiveness of Canada’s cereals industry. “A strong Manitoba economy depends on helping our agricultural producers reach new markets,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kost

Saskatchewan Exports Continue to Support Food and Energy Security Worldwide

Today the Ministry of Trade and Export Development provided data on Saskatchewan's global exports. Despite a challenging year, where international trade disputes, tariffs and geopolitical events have disrupted trade to traditional markets, Saskatchewan exports are making their way to different markets across the globe. "Saskatchewan products are being sent to over 160 countries, helping to ensure food and energy security for billions of people," Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding said. "Saskatchewan exports, and the value of those exports continues to grow. Here at home these exports are essential for creating jobs and providing services and infrastructure that ensure the great quality of life for the people of Saskatchewan."  Highlights include: In the first nine months of 2025, one of the top destinations for Saskatchewan products in South America was Brazil, where exports totaled $1.3 billion dollars, primarily in potash.  Exports to Japan have grown considerabl

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service