The Canadian Agricultural Partnership helps producers invest in the efficiency and sustainability of their operations
By Jackie Clark
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Farmers can soon apply to take advantage of cost-share opportunities through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
This program “is offered to producers, farmers and other businesses related to plant health, and delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA),” Angela Straathof, program director at the association, told Farms.com.
The next intake of applications for this stream begins on Jan. 8.
“The project categories that are open (for this window) will be announced in December,” Straathof explained. “When an intake opens, OSCIA accepts applications to the project categories that are associated with that intake.
“Producers can go online to ontarioprograms.net and open an enrollment form that allows them to apply for the project category of the best management practice that they’re interested in implementing,” she added.
Project categories fit into three priority areas: economic development, environmental stewardship, and protection and assurance. Previous project categories within those priority areas included financial analysis, cover crops and equipment to improve animal handling, respectively.
Farmers have enthusiastically participated in the Partnership.
“Our most recent intake opened March 22, 2019 and was open for six weeks. We had over 1,000 applications,” Straathof said.
“I think there’s strong interest from the farming community. They recognize that the financial support they’re able to mobilize through this program are incentives applied in the right direction for them.”
Program administrators have made efforts to simplify the application process.
“Applicants will see a more streamlined and user-friendly application process that will save time and allow them to focus more on what they do best: growing and producing some of the highest-quality food in the world,” Ernie Hardeman, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, said in a statement on Nov. 7.
The Partnership is a five-year initiative that started in April 2018. OMAFRA administers additional streams offered to food processors and agri-business organizations.
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