Applications for year two of Canola 4R Advantage to open on June 26

Jun 21, 2023

The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) is inviting applications for year two of Canola 4R Advantage through a new digital portal opening on June 26. Canola 4R Advantage, funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF), offers financial support to growers as they initiate or advance 4R Nutrient Stewardship on their farms.

The new, user-friendly digital portal will be available at canolacouncil.org/4r-advantage, and will allow growers to check the status of their participation through all stages of the process, from applying to submitting claims.

“We’re excited to launch the second year of Canola 4R Advantage and continue to build on canola growers’ leadership in sustainability,” says Jim Everson, CCC president. “Our program is focused on 4R practices to make the most efficient use of a growers’ fertilizer investment, which is good for farm productivity and the environment.”

To help growers prepare, the CCC has posted a demo video on how to apply, as well as a recorded webinar on year two program enhancements.

Additional benefits in year two

Year two of Canola 4R Advantage will cover expenses invoiced and paid by growers between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. In year two, the program is expanding opportunities in several ways:

More dollars per BMP: Growers can now seek up to $20,000 in assistance for each of the four eligible BMPs (soil testing, field zone mapping, enhanced efficiency fertilizer and preferred application) versus $6,000 per BMP in year one. Please note that year two applications for the preferred application BMP will be paused until 2024, when seasonal price differentials for nitrogen fertilizer can be determined.
More BMPs per farm: Each farm can seek support for all BMPs covered by the program, versus a maximum of two BMPs in year one.
Added eligibility for 4R plan development: The program can reimburse a portion of the consulting fees paid for a 4R designated agronomist to develop a growers’ 4R Nutrient Stewardship Plan.
Funding continued adoption of new practices: Growers can seek funding to continue BMPs that were started since February 7, 2022.

Other program details established by AAFC will remain in place, including the 85 per cent reimbursement cap for eligible expenses and a maximum $75,000 limit in total funding received by a farm business across all OFCAF programs over the two-year OFCAF program lifetime.

For complete program details, visit canolacouncil.org/4r-advantage.

The Canola Council of Canada is a full value chain organization representing canola growers, processors, life science companies and exporters. Keep it Coming 2025 is the strategic plan to ensure the canola industry’s continued growth, demand, stability and success. For more information, visit canolacouncil.org or follow CCC on Twitter @canolacouncil.

Source : Canola Council

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.