Ontario farms qualify for $36 million in federal
environmental cost-sharing programs

More than 8,100 projects have been approved to help Ontario farmers make environmental improvements on their land - and funds are still available

by TREENA HEIN

Participation in federal environmental cost-sharing programs has been very good, according to Andrew Graham, Program Manager at the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA).
And that should encourage the federal government to continue funding them in years to come.

Graham notes that, while it would seem in today’s tough agricultural climate that many farmers are too financially stressed to invest in environmental improvements, his organization is extremely pleased that a substantial number are in fact doing so. More than 8,100 projects in Ontario have been approved since April 2005 through several programs, amounting to over $36 million in federal funds allocated so far.

“We are very optimistic that we will continue to see high participation levels and be able to move all the cost-share to producers,” says Graham. “It will send a message that these programs will continue to be important and show that the demand is there.”

While the 8,100-plus projects are located on only approximately 4,000 Ontario farms out of 45,000 eligible (those having a unique Farm Business Registration Number), Graham notes that these numbers are to be anticipated. “Cost-share programs are available to everyone,” he says, “but there’s never been an expectation that everyone can be funded.”

The cost-sharing programs delivered by OSCIA are funded under the Agricultural Policy Framework, a federal-provincial funding agreement. One of these, the Greencover program, is delivered by OSCIA in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Greencover is designed to help producers with a variety of environmental projects, including improvements to land management practices, protection of water quality through enhancement of riparian areas, reduction of greenhouse gases, enrichment of biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and conversion of marginal agricultural land to permanent cover.

Up until September 2006, the maximum federal contribution per eligible farm for Greencover (GC) was $20,000, with the combined funding for the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP) and GC capped at $30,000. In September, however, the federal government increased the funding cap for COFSP to $50,000, keeping the GC maximum the same, meaning the new combined cap is now $70,000, Graham says “The adjustment in the cap opens up new opportunities for people who had exhausted their funding under COFSP.”

Graham adds that farmers, in some cases, can have their costs further reduced (down to as much as zero) through additional funding programs offered by local conservation groups and OSCIA. OSCIA will continue to promote the programs through a variety of methods, such as its Web site, program representatives, workshops and printed materials. Information about Greencover and other programs will also be delivered through sessions held by Conservation Ontario and its affiliates, which have connections with the agricultural community.

Though Greencover was originally announced in September 2005 at the federal level as a five-year project, its funding is scheduled to end in March 31, 2008, when the new version of the Agricultural Policy Framework will be released.

While government officials are encouraging OSCIA and other agencies to provide input during consultation sessions this year, Graham says that “we can’t predict what environmental programs may be involved. The challenge for us and for all the partners is to effectively deliver the current program. We have a lot to be pleased with, but we’ve certainly got our work cut out.” BF