More opportunities for farmers improve their operations

Feb 06, 2017

The OSCIA has added another intake period for farm project funding applications

This year marks the last chance that producers have to apply for government funding for farm projects under the Province’s Growing Forward 2 (GF2) initiative.

To encourage producers to apply, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), through the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), is adding another application submission period for the GF2 Funding Assistance Program.

Both OMAFRA and OSCIA hope the extra intake period will provide producers with more time to review and select farm projects that they wish to submit for consideration for funding assistance, according to a Feb. 3 release.

The program offers government assistance for select farm projects that fit into the following categories:

- Climate change and environmental adaptation,

- Quality assurance projects (traceability, food safety, animal welfare),

- Plant and animal health,

- Labour productivity improvement,

- Market development, and

- Leadership and business development.

The program has been very successful with producers across the country, according to John Laidlaw, program manager for OSCIA.

“The program has resonated with producers in Ontario, starting with the workshops and moving through to cost-share,” he says. “There have been over 2,600 projects funded and over $26.6 million in cost-share paid to producers. (These figures do) not include over 900 projects worth over $7.5 million (which were part) of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea special intake.”

Farmers must enroll their operations with the Province and attend the proper workshops prior to applying for government assistance, according to a GF2 brochure. The application process requires intensive planning and participation that includes a detailed work plan outlining the resources and costs needed to complete the project.

“OSCIA has always sent the message to assess, plan and implement,” says Laidlaw. “Producers should (first) assess their operations by attending one, or all, of the five different workshops that OSCIA offers: Environmental Farm Plan, Growing Your Farm Profits, Biosecurity, Food Safety, and Traceability.

“Once producers have taken the workshop, they can get funding to complete various plans, audits and/or assessments. From there, they can look to the program guide and see what cost-share funding may be available to help them achieve their goals.”

The enrolment dates in 2017 are now as follows:

- Feb. 3 to 23,

- April 4 to 18, and

- May 12 to June 1.

Chosen projects can receive up to 50 per cent government assistance depending on the type and category of the project. The project must also be completed by Dec. 15, 2017, followed by the cost details by Jan. 15, 2017.

More information on the program and application requirements are on the OSCIA website.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.