The Complete FHCU Diagnostic Package
When you complete a Farmland Health Check-Up, you receive far more than a generic report. You get a comprehensive, field-specific diagnostic package built on real Ontario soil science and tailored to your exact farming conditions. Every recommendation is grounded in OMAFRA Best Management Practices and calibrated to your soil type, landscape position, and management history.
33-Page Diagnostic Workbook
Complete field-by-field documentation of soil, drainage, erosion, and management conditions.
Yield-Limiting Factor Analysis
Clear identification of exactly why your underperforming fields aren't matching your best.
Prioritized BMP Recommendations
Ranked by yield impact and cost-effectiveness for practical implementation.
Grant & Cost-Share Connections
Links to Ontario programs that can fund recommended improvements.
Baseline for Future Tracking
Documented soil condition snapshot to measure improvement over time.
Detailed Three-Field Workbook
The official FHCU workbook documents every aspect of the assessment across your three selected fields. This 33-page diagnostic document includes:
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Client and farm information — Farm business details, commodity profile, acreage, and Environmental Farm Plan status
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Field identification and mapping — Each field mapped with latitude/longitude coordinates, conservation authority jurisdiction, quaternary watershed, and ownership details
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Soil information for each field — Soil map unit symbol, surface texture, hydrological soil group, natural drainage class, erosion factor, compaction potential, and tile drainage status
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Slope assessment — Slope class, length, and complexity for each field
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Five-year crop rotation and tillage history — Crops grown, actual yields vs. county averages, cover crop usage, tillage system, number of passes, and tillage depth for every year
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Ten-point assessment scoring — Each assessment area scored and compared between fields with specific observations and improvement targets
Yield-Limiting Factor Analysis
The most valuable output of the FHCU is the clear identification of why your underperforming fields aren't matching your best field's production. This analysis goes beyond surface-level observations to identify root causes.
Example Breakdown
A field producing 170 bu/ac corn versus 220 bu/ac on your best field may seem like a "50-bushel gap." But the FHCU breaks this down into its component causes: perhaps 20 bu/ac is lost to compaction in traffic lanes, 15 bu/ac to inadequate drainage causing delayed planting and denitrification losses, and 15 bu/ac to organic matter depletion on eroded knoll positions. Each cause has a specific remediation pathway and estimated cost-benefit ratio.
Prioritized BMP Recommendations
Not all field improvements are equal in their yield impact or cost-effectiveness. The FHCU prioritizes recommendations based on:
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Potential yield impact — Which factors are causing the greatest production losses
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Implementation cost — What will each improvement cost relative to expected return
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Time to benefit — Whether improvements deliver immediate returns (e.g., addressing compaction) or long-term benefits (e.g., building organic matter)
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Available cost-share funding — Which recommended practices may be eligible for Ontario stewardship grants
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Practical feasibility — Whether the recommendation fits within your existing equipment, timing, and management capabilities
Connection to Grants and Cost-Share Programs
Many of the improvements identified through the FHCU are eligible for cost-share funding through Ontario stewardship programs. Your advisor will identify which recommendations align with current funding opportunities, helping you leverage your FHCU results to access financial support for drainage improvements, cover crop establishment, erosion control structures, and soil remediation projects. Learn more →
Key Takeaway: The FHCU report serves as supporting documentation for many grant applications, demonstrating the agronomic need for the proposed improvements and establishing the baseline conditions that the project will address.
Baseline for Future Management
The FHCU workbook establishes a documented baseline of your field conditions at a specific point in time. This baseline becomes increasingly valuable as you implement recommended improvements, allowing you to measure progress in soil structure recovery, organic matter rebuilding, compaction remediation, and yield trend improvements.
