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Agricultural research can deliver value far beyond the field. In Kingston, Ontario, UNDO is working with CORCAN, the Correctional Service of Canada’s Special Operating Agency, on an agronomy trial at the Penitentiary Farms Program, combining soil and crop research with practical training in agricultural sampling and analysis.
The Penitentiary Farms Program operates at Joyceville and Collins Bay Institutions and sits within CORCAN’s employment and employability program. Through agricultural operations, participants gain practical experience, develop technical and transferable skills, and take part in meaningful work designed to support future employment and successful reintegration into the community.
For UNDO, the partnership brings together local agricultural research, skills development and shared learning, while helping us build a better understanding of how wollastonite performs in Ontario soils and crops.
Building On An Established Agricultural Program
The current Penitentiary Farm Program began implementation in 2018, with participants now involved in a wide range of activities, including crop production, horticulture, beekeeping, maple syrup production, forestry management, and livestock care.
That existing agricultural experience made CORCAN a natural partner for UNDO’s research. The program already combines hands-on work with skills development, while also working with external organisations on agricultural and research projects. The result is a setting where practical fieldwork and structured learning can sit alongside each other.
Testing Wollastonite On Alfalfa
UNDO has been spreading wollastonite across agricultural land at Joyceville and Collins Bay within our growing Ontario operations. Wollastonite is a naturally occurring calcium silicate mineral sourced locally from Canadian Wollastonite near Seeley’s Bay. When spread on farmland, it gradually breaks down, releasing calcium and silicon into the soil while also reacting with and permanently removing carbon dioxide as part of the enhanced rock weathering process.
To date, UNDO has spread over 3,000 tonnes of wollastonite across over 790 acres. The current research trial is focused specifically on agronomy and uses a split-field design, allowing treated and untreated areas to be compared over time.
The field is currently growing alfalfa for silage, giving the team an opportunity to look at how wollastonite influences soil conditions, crop performance, and forage composition within UNDO’s wider agronomy program under Ontario growing conditions.
Building Research Skills
A key part of the partnership has been training participants in the methods used to collect and prepare agricultural field data. Those taking part are existing CORCAN farm workers who volunteer for the research projects and are selected by CORCAN.
UNDO has delivered two practical training sessions so far:
– Soil sampling and processing: participants were trained in collecting soil samples, then drying and weighing them in preparation for analysis.
– Harvest and bale sampling: participants took part in a second session focused on collecting forage samples for crop and feed analysis.
These are techniques used across agronomy, agricultural research and environmental monitoring. By bringing them into CORCAN’s existing farming program, the project gives participants practical experience with the methods used in contemporary agronomy research, while also introducing them to a genuinely exploratory area of study focused on how wollastonite affects soils, crops and forage under Ontario conditions.
The response from participants has been particularly positive, with strong engagement and enthusiasm for the opportunity to take part in research where the outcomes are still being investigated. That sense of discovery is an important part of the project, giving participants the chance to contribute to work that could help shape how wollastonite is used and understood in agriculture.
“The opportunity to broaden participants’ skill development and experience across a wider range of agricultural activities has been well received. They have been grateful for the opportunity to give back by supporting valuable research, while learning how modern farming is adapting and embracing new technologies and practices. Collaborations like ours with UNDO have been a great way to bring new learning and development opportunities to participants.”
Matt Sisson, Project Team Leader
A Partnership Built Around Knowledge Exchange
The value of the partnership is not simply in supporting fieldwork. CORCAN already operates established agricultural sites, with experienced program staff and participants who may bring their own knowledge of farming and land management. UNDO brings expertise in soil sampling, agronomy research, enhanced rock weathering, and environmental measurement.
Bringing those areas of experience together creates opportunities for genuine knowledge exchange. It also opens the door to further research, with early discussions identifying opportunities for additional agronomy trials and environmental monitoring across the Kingston sites.
Working within the Correctional Service of Canada’s Penitentiary Farm Program gives that research a strong foundation. The established agricultural setting, existing infrastructure, experienced staff and high level of participant engagement create valuable opportunities to support on-farm research over longer periods.
That continuity is especially valuable for field research, where consistent monitoring and repeated sampling can be difficult to maintain without strong local support. It also highlights the role CSC and CORCAN play in creating an environment where practical learning, agricultural research and longer-term collaboration can develop together.
Supporting Skills And Reintegration
CORCAN’s agricultural operations are built around employment, employability and personal development. Opportunities like these can increase work engagement while helping participants build both specific technical skills and broader transferable skills that may support their future professional development. CSC also highlights meaningful employment as an important part of successful reintegration into the community.
Agriculture can offer a broad range of practical experience, while projects like this introduce participants to newer areas of agronomy and environmental research. Taking part in exploratory research also gives participants the opportunity to build confidence, develop new skills and contribute to work with value beyond the institution.
For CORCAN, the partnership creates new opportunities for personal development and technical learning while also supporting its wider ambition to give back to the local agricultural community. By contributing to research that builds our understanding of soils, crops and new agricultural practices, the work has the potential to generate insights that can also benefit neighbouring farms.
Growing The Partnership In Kingston
Ontario is central to UNDO’s plans for scaling enhanced rock weathering, but that growth depends on strong local relationships. The work at Joyceville and Collins Bay is a prime example of how those relationships can develop around shared objectives rather than a single project outcome.
Wollastonite is being applied to working land, agronomic research is helping us better understand its effects on Ontario soils and crops, and participants are gaining practical experience in soil and forage sampling along the way.
As the trial continues, the team will compare treated and untreated areas and analyse the resulting soil and forage data. Those findings will contribute to UNDO’s wider agronomy research in Ontario, while the partnership itself creates scope for further research, training and collaboration in Kingston.
As the research develops, so does a partnership designed to create value beyond the field, through stronger local knowledge, practical skills, and new insights that can be shared across the wider farming community in Ontario.
Learn More About Our Work In Kingston
Our partnership with CORCAN brings together agronomy research, practical skills development and enhanced rock weathering. If you’d like to learn more about the project, the research, or opportunities to work with UNDO through our farming program, we’d be happy to hear from you.
