The federal government has loosened the purse strings for canola producers hoping to set up select 4R nutrient management practices on their farms.
Applicants to the Canola 4R Advantage program can now seek up to $20,000 in assistance for each of three (possibly four) eligible 4R best management practices, compared to $6,000 per BMP in the first year of the two-year program.
“We’ve been seeing some uptake (of 4R practices) over the years but maybe not as much as we’ve wanted,” said Warren Ward of the Canola Council of Canada, which administers the program.
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“Now there’s this opportunity through the Canola 4R Advantage program — which is funded through the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) — to help incentivize growers to adopt some of these practices.”
“4R” is a term describing fertilizer use efficiency: the right source of fertilizer used at the right rate at the right time and in the right place.
This year, OFCAF is also allowing farmers to seek support for all the BMPs covered under 4R Advantage.
“Last year it was restricted — you could only choose two,” said Ward. “We’ve opened that up so you can apply for all three if that’s what you want to implement.”
Year Two applications to 4R Advantage — which opened to farmers June 26 — are for expenses invoiced and paid by growers from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
Like last year, an 85 per cent reimbursement cap will be in place for eligible expenses for BMPs. There’s a $75,000 limit on total funding across all programs over the two-year OFCAF lifetime. Funding is only available to producers who have completed a 4R nutrient stewardship plan guided by a 4R-verified certified crop advisor or professional agrologist.
“Keep in mind that if you’re participating in multiple (OFCAF) programs, you have to keep track of how much money you’re receiving through all of them because there is that $75,000 total limit,” said Ward.
The four eligible BMP categories include:
- Soil testing: Soil sampling and lab analysis to help growers optimize nutrient applications based on soil needs and yield potential.
- Field zone mapping: Consulting services to help growers pinpoint areas where applying more or less nitrogen can provide the best returns based on past management practices, yield potential, terrain and a other factors.
- Enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF): Products designed to release nitrogen over a longer period so more nutrients can be taken up by plants and less nitrogen is lost to the atmosphere.
- Preferred application: Methods that band nitrogen into soil near seeding time or apply nutrients while canola crops are growing.
The preferred application category is a little unique. It’s intended to reimburse 85 per cent of the cost of nitrogen fertilizer for producers switching from fall N application.
Their options include either fertilizer banding in the spring or a split application in which a portion of fertilizer is banded at planting and the remainder is applied in-crop.
However, the inclusion of the BMP is contingent on the cost of N fertilizer being lower in the fall than it is in the spring, which wasn’t the case during last year’s growing season. That’s why the category is on pause until 2024, when seasonal price differentials for N fertilizer can be determined.
“This year it was actually more economical to buy your fertilizer in the spring than it would have been last fall. So we weren’t able to to offer it right now just because there’s no way you could get money back on that,” said Ward.
A new enhancement this year is support for growers paying consultants to help them develop a 4R nutrient stewardship plan. Producers can be reimbursed a portion (up to $5,000) of consulting fees.
However, the plan must be developed and verified by a CCA or PAg who has earned a 4R Nutrient Stewardship designation from Fertilizer Canada. A list of 4R designated agri-retailers is available on the Fertilizer Canada website.
Not all producers pay for their agronomic consulting, but for those that do this is a way to recognize the role CCAs and PAgs play in the program, said Ward.
“Their time is worth something as well, so we wanted to to have this as an option in case some people needed it to to develop those plans,” he said.
The program is also supporting the continued adoption of new practices. This essentially means growers can seek funding to continue BMPs started since February 7, 2022.
“If it was a new practice for Year One, it is still eligible now for Year Two of the program,” said Ward.
Finally, a new online digital portal will allow applicants to check the status of their participation through all stages of the process, including application and submitting claims.
“It’s the application portal that either growers or agronomists would use to start the application process,” said Ward.
“It will be more streamlined versus what it would have been last year. There’s definitely some tweaks and improvements over Year One and hopefully the application process will be smoother for people this year.”
More information — including videos on program enhancements and how to apply — is available at canolacouncil.org/4r-advantage.
