The main Alberta administrator of funding under the On-Farm Climate Action Fund — a program offering up to $75,000 per farm — says its application deadline for the first round of funding is Nov. 7.
Around 200 operations put in applications in the first month after the application window opened Aug. 4, Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) said in a Sept. 9 e-newsletter.
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“To date, five applications have been approved in ARGO, RDAR’s online grant management system, 20 applications are currently being processed and nearly 200 applications are currently in progress in ARGO,” the newsletter stated.
The program, known by its initials OFCAF, is part of the federal government’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The program will pay 85 per cent of costs in three areas: nitrogen management, cover cropping, and rotational grazing.
“Producer feedback on the OFCAF program has been largely positive,” said the RDAR newsletter. “A number of applicants have said OFACF funding will enable them to start projects on their farm that they have been wanting to do for a number of years.”
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Each of the three areas will cover costs for specific things.
For nitrogen management, that includes soil testing and mapping; the cost of renting equipment (or custom contracting) for banding, side dressing or injection; and the price difference between regular nitrogen fertilizer and one with nitrification inhibitors.
Eligible cover cropping costs include seed and planting costs, while eligible rotational grazing costs include fencing, water pipelines and waterers.
The program can also cover costs for professional services such as agronomy and development of grazing management plans. For more details and a link to the application form, go to www.rdar.ca/ofcaf.
The same webpage contains a recording of an hour-long webinar put on for farmers and ranchers last month. It covers the application process, which includes submitting an “action plan” on how these management practices will be implemented.
The program is due to run until 2024, with the application period for the next round of funding set to open “in early 2023.”
The federal government has budgeted $200 million for the OFCAF program with a dozen organizations across the country administering the money.
RDAR is one of the largest but the Canola Council of Canada is administering a portion of nitrogen management funding for prairie producers. As well, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association is distributing rotational grazing money in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and Quebec.
