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Fragile Land Retirement

Closed
 

Stream: Producer

Code:

ESIM-PD-D

Who should apply?

Producers with fragile lands, including severely eroded knolls and compacted headlands, that were annually cropped within the past two years. Applicants must demonstrate a long-term commitment (at least 15 years) to retiring land in order to access support.

To apply you must have completed

  • A verified, 4th Edition Environmental Farm Plan
  • A site sketch (hand-drawn or computer-generated) or AgMaps output showing the proposed project location

Have you completed an Environmental Farm Plan?

Having a verified, 4th Edition Environmental Farm Plan is required to apply for all Environmental Stewardship Project Categories. If you haven’t completed one, sign up here.

The project being applied for must be identified as an action in the EFP, and effectively move a “1” or “2” rating to “3” or “4” (best) rating

Eligible activities and expenditures

  • Seeding fragile land sites to permanent vegetative cover including establishing native trees or shrubs, native grasses or native wildflowers to stabilize sites
    • Site preparation
    • Purchase and planting of native or non-invasive introduced species of trees, shrubs, grasses, legumes or wildflowers
      • Tree planting techniques must adhere to practices that would typically be advocated by a professional forester
      • Total eligible costs for tree purchase and planting is capped at $50 per tree
    • Weed control system, including mulch
  • Activities that are designed to manage and treat runoff leaving agricultural land and reaching watercourses
    • Constructed wetlands that collect and treat tile drain water or surface waters from agricultural land before entering a watercourse or drain
    • Enhancing standing inlets to slow movement of water from field and increase infiltration time
    • Installing biofilters
    • Installing vegetated grass strips on the contour to reduce velocity of water flow and increase infiltration
  • In-kind contributions

Ineligible activities and expenditures

  • Activities and expenditures as detailed here
  • Vines, ornamentals and other species unlikely to offer value in a land retirement project
  • Opportunity costs associated with payments for land taken out of production
  • Ongoing maintenance costs
  • Pasture rejuvenation and forage management costs
  • Planting of invasive plant species (see invadingspecies.com/plants/)
  • Total costs for stock and planting in excess of $50 per tree
  • Livestock fencing and stream crossing structures
  • Landscape quality or landscape type plantings
  • Establishment of trees, shrubs or other plantings that is intended for harvest for economic benefit within 15 years
  • Site preparation costs that exceed 10-times the cost of planting and/or seeding permanent cover

Available cost-share

50 per cent, up to a maximum of $10,000

Required documentation

  • Certificate of completion for a 4th Edition Environmental Farm Plan
  • A site sketch (hand-drawn or computer-generated) or AgMaps output showing the proposed project location

Merit assessment criteria

  • Project addresses risk identified in EFP Action Plan
  • Degree of risk associated with the proposed fragile land site to be retired to permanent vegetative cover (e.g., potential for erosion, proximity to water courses, etc.) and estimated improvement to be achieved through project
  • Number of times an applicant business has accessed cost-share funding under the producer stream of the province-wide Partnership program
  • Ability of project to support economic recovery and growth of Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sectors

Other useful information:

An additional 5 per cent in cost-share funding may be available to successful producers who provide information on the Systems Approach section of the application to demonstrate that the project will be complemented or enhanced by the continued maintenance of three previously implemented Best Management Practices (BMPs). For more information, click here.

What's Next?

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Is this project for you? Find out if you meet the program requirements
Program Requirements

 

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For more information, visit ontariosoilcrop.org

Is this project for you? Find out if you meet the program requirements

Any established farm business that is a legal entity and produces agricultural commodities in Ontario under a valid Farm Business Registration Number (FBRN), or an allowable exemption, is eligible to apply for cost-share funding under the Partnership—provided that the farm business meets all of the requirements set out in the Program Guide. You must also have a valid and up-to-date Premises Identification (PID) Number for the farm property where the project is to take place. In addition, you are required to be in compliance with all Requirements of the Law and remain in compliance for the duration of the project.

A farm business may have up to two (2) applications approved in an intake or under consideration at one time. A separate application must be submitted for each project.

There is no limit to the number of cost-share projects that a farm business can complete over the five-year span of the Partnership. There is also no limit to the number of approved cost-share projects that a farm business can have underway at one time.

Applications are evaluated based only on the information submitted and will not be considered if they do not meet eligibility criteria or if they are incomplete.

Complete applications that meet eligibility criteria are assessed using Merit Assessment Criteria, which is specific to each Project Category. Applications that are selected using a merit-based review process are approved on a continuous basis while funds remain available.

Conditional approval for funding may be granted for complete applications with high merit that require confirmation of additional information before project approval.

Applications are submitted electronically.* You can apply and submit all required documentation at ontarioprograms.net.

You can also complete the Application Form for the Project Category you are applying under, and submit with all required documentation by email to CAP@ontariosoilcrop.org. Copies of Application Forms are available at ontarioprogramguides.net.

*If you cannot apply online or by email, you may send hard copy applications and all required documentation to OSCIA by post or courier to 1-367 Woodlawn Road W, Guelph, ON, N1H 7K9.

Applications will be reviewed, and cost-share funding decisions will be made after the Application Intake has closed. You will be notified by mail and/or email approximately 45 business days from the date a given Application Intake closes. (If there is an exception to this, it may be noted in the Project Category Description.) There are three possible outcomes:

  • Application is approved – you will receive confirmation of claim procedures and submission deadlines, and a questionnaire that must be completed at the end of the project.
  • Application is conditionally approved – you will be notified about what additional information is required to finalize approval of your project.
  • Application is declined – you will receive a brief explanation for the decision.

The start date for your project is the date on the Approval or Conditional Approval Letter issued by OSCIA for each successful project. Projects cannot be started before that date. Eligible costs can only be incurred, invoiced and paid for by the applicant after the date on which the Letter is issued.

The completion date for your project will be specified in the Approval Letter issued by OSCIA for the successful project. Eligible costs must be incurred, invoiced and paid for by the applicant on or before this completion date.

New producers are new entrants to the agricultural production industry who:

  • File personal income taxes in Ontario
  • Have proof of ownership or control of productive agricultural assets to generate farm income
  • Have a valid and up-to-date Premises Identification Number for the farm property where the proposed project is to take place
  • Have not had more than $7,000 in gross farm income two and three years prior to enrolling in the Partnership
  • Have business projections that demonstrate potential annual gross business income of $7,000 or more within three years of applying

New producers are eligible for:

  • Financial Analysis
  • Business Plans
  • Marketing Plans
  • Nutrient Management and Soil Health Planning
  • Education, Training, Assessment and Planning (Animal Health)
  • Food Safety and Traceability Gap Assessment and Pre-audit
  • Food Safety and Traceability Training
  • Education, Training, Assessment and Planning (Plant Health)

If you are a new producer, contact OSCIA at 1-800-265-9751 or CAP@ontariosoilcrop.org for a list of applicable Project Categories, and to request a copy of the New Producer Application Form.

 

Here are some other programs you might be interested in:

 


Edit date: December 6, 2021

Need Help?

For assistance with the Online Program Guide, please contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre – Mon. to Fri., 8 am – 5 pm, 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca