Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Initiative Opens October 16-29, 2024

Announced on September 16th, the governments of Canada and Ontario are investing an additional $9 million in the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Initiative (ASI) through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership to help farmers enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of their farms. Funding will be used to help with the adoption of new technologies and best management practices to support soil health, water quality, and energy efficiency while increasing on-farm productivity. The ASI programing will be delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA).

The program intake opens on October 16, 2024 (9 am ET) and closes on October 29, 2024 (5 pm ET).

Quick Facts:

Farmers will be able to submit up to two applications to the program, depending on their needs, with successful recipients receiving up to $90,000 depending on the project category.

There are several program categories as part of the ASI program, but four project categories are related specifically to energy efficiency. These are very interesting funding opportunities for greenhouse operators but applicable to all producers.

Additional categories

  • Equipment modifications to reduce soil compaction
  • Equipment modifications to improve manure application
  • Nutrient application equipment modifications
  • Nutrient management and soil health planning
  • Erosion control structures
  • Adding organic amendments
  • Equipment and technology to enhance manure storage

Who Qualifies?

You will need

  • Valid premises identification (PID) number (for details, visit www.ontariopid.com)
  • Certificate of completion for a 4th Edition Environmental Farm Plan
  • Documentation to support an eligible farm business (only if an FBRN has not been provided)

How do I Apply?

All required documentation, including the Enrolment and Application Form, can be submitted electronically through the OSCIA Portal only during the intake dates (October 16-29).

Look into all the exciting funding opportunities here!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Updates to the Expanded Energy Management Program from Save On Energy

Image
The Expanded Energy Management program now provides support to commercial and institutional facilities in Ontario (including Greenhouses) to improve their energy performance with energy savings opportunities in two areas: Funding for hiring an Energy Manager Strategic Energy Management: Identify and implement long-term energy-saving opportunities. Continue reading to learn more and register here for the information webinar Wednesday June 4 th , 1-2pm Program Details The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced that Save On Energy’s Expanded Energy Management (EEM) program has expanded participation to commercial and institutional organizations. The EEM program now provides support to commercial and institutional facilities in Ontario to improve their energy performance with energy savings opportunities in two areas: Hire an Energy Manager : Receive funding to hire a dedicated energy manager, covering up to 50% of their salary up to a maximum of $100,0000 ...
Read more

GrowON Webinar: Planning Your Spring IPM Program with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub!

Image
Still unfamiliar with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub (fondly referred to as “Crop Hub”) and want to know more about it? Then join me (the Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist) and Cara McCreary (Greenhouse Vegetable IPM Specialist) for a LIVE demonstration Thursday, Dec. 12 at noon ! This demo will be applicable to greenhouse vegetable, floriculture growers. Nursery crop growers that grow crops in greenhouses may also find this useful. During this webinar, we’ll walk you through examples on how to: Quickly access rates and REIs of greenhouse pest-control products Compare efficacies of pesticides and fungicides for Ontario pests Look up compatibility of chemical products with natural enemies Access the legal label easily for more infomation Read on for more details about this webinar. Upcoming Webinar on Crop Hub: What: Planning your spring IPM program with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub Who: Sarah Jandricic (Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist for OMAFA) and...
Read more

Deficiencies Got You Down?

Image
This post was contributed to by Abigail Wiesner and Chevonne Dayboll. As we move through production for fall and winter crops a refresher for nutrient deficiencies feels appropriate. No matter where you are in a cropping cycle, nutrition problems can be tricky to figure out. The good thing is they can be differentiated from disease or pest issues based on a few key observations: If the damage is uniform and crop wide , it’s most likely a nutritional issue If the damage is localized or more random , it’s most likely a disease or pest issue How to Spot a Nutrient Deficiency Early detections of any problem can be caught with regular monitoring . Detection is STEP ONE : Figure 1. Common nutrient deficiency indicators for floriculture crops. Nutrient Mobility : When deficient, mobile nutrients will move to the new growth, but immobile nutrients will be trapped in the old growth. A quick scan of where the damage is occurring can help to narrow the potential culprits. Stunted...
Read more