Federal gov’t awards millions to ag-related climate change projects

OTTAWA — The Trudeau government rolled out the latest round of Agricultural Clean Technology Program funding grants last month with 29 Ontario farms and agribusinesses awarded $16.7 million.

Over 80 % of the most recently approved projects were located in Southwestern Ontario. The two biggest grants at $2 million each were for biogas technology upgrades — at Generate Upcycle London East Digester in London and at Stanton Farms in Ilderton.

Five Eastern Ontario outfits also made the most recent cut: Greenwood Mushrooms Development Corporation of Ashburn (north of Whitby) got almost $425,000 to install heat exchangers; Lakewinds Farm Ltd. of Beaverton (west of Lindsay) got more than $440,000 to install a biomass boiler and heat exchanger; Millspring Farms of Napanee and Midlee Farms of Osgoode both got close to $600,000 for new grain dryers; and multinational Ingredion in Cardinal got almost $714,000 for a heat recovery system. Twenty-one Eastern Ontario outfits have received funding since the program’s inception

Since 2022, 143 Ontario farms and agribusinesses have collected over $65 million in federal grant money to pay for climate change-fighting projects — everything from solar panels to gas-fired grain dryer expansions. It’s all part of the Liberal government’s $15 billion climate plan. Applications to the Agricultural Clean Technology Program “were prioritized by projects with the highest reductions in greenhouse gas, fertilizer emissions or methane emissions,” Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada told Farmers Forum.

For-profit projects receive up to 50 % funding, to a maximum of $2-million. Funding rises to 60 % if owned in the majority by non-white owners; females, individuals 35 or under; and Indigenous groups.

Ontario projects awarded funding comprise a third of the 415 projects approved nationally at a taxpayer cost of $197.2 million since 2022. Most of the money has gone to install or improve technology at the involved farms and agribusinesses — so called technological “adoption” — with a smaller “research and innovation” stream allocated to demonstration projects.

While new applications aren’t currently being accepted for the most popular “adoption” side of the program, the department notes that any new intake period will be posted on the program website at agriculture.canada.ca/en/programs/agricultural-clean-technology-adoption-stream.

Meanwhile, the program’s research and innovation stream continues to accept applications.