Amount: 65% of eligible project costs, up to a maximum cost-share payment of $30,000 per project

Nitrogen Management Program is for farmers who want to implement a practice that is new to the acres being applied for, within their field-based nitrogen management activities. A new practice is one that has not been previously implemented by the applicant on the acres included in the application.

Eligibility requirements

Eligible farm business must be actively farming or own actively farmed land in Ontario, as demonstrated by:

  • A valid farm business registration number (FBRN) OR
  • A Religious Exemption Letter provided by the OMAFRA Appeal Tribunal (include with application submission) OR
  • A Cultural Exemption Letter provided by the First Nations Agriculture & Finance Ontario to First Nations farmers, verifying the farm business operates in a First Nations community (include with application submission) OR
  • 25 acres of land or more, assessed as ‘Farm’, as indicated by the most current Municipal Property Assessment Notice or Municipal Tax Bill in the name of the farm business (include with application submission) OR
  • An income exemption from the Farm Property Class Tax Rate Program in the name of the farm business (include with application submission

Eligible activities

Soil sampling, analysis, and mapping costs, including fees for a third-party Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) or Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.) to develop a written plan that addresses nitrogen management (e.g., crop nutrient plan, crop diversification plan, nutrient management plan). Eligible costs, up to a maximum of $20,000 in cost-share funding may include:

      • Soil sampling, analysis, and mapping
      • Plant tissue sampling, analysis, and mapping
      • Manure sampling and analysis
      • Costs for diagnostic testing used for in-season rate adjustments (i.e., drone imagery, satellite imagery, pre-side dress nitrate test, tissue testing, chlorophyll testing
      • Development of a written Crop Nutrient Plan that meets the program minimum requirements outlined here. A copy of the completed plan is required as part of the claim submission

To qualify for funding, all planning, and/or sampling, analysis, and mapping activities must either:

    • Demonstrate a fertilizer rate reduction

      • OR

    • Be accompanied by an application for the implementation of a new, eligible nitrogen management practice on new acres, e.g., first time use of synthetic fertilizer substitutes, split application, use of dual action nitrogen stabilizers, etc.

Program Amount

Cost-share funding is available under the OFCAF at 65% of approved, eligible costs. The maximum cost-share funding a farm business can receive under the OFCAF program, from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2028, inclusive of all approved application under all project categories is $100,000*.

Nitrogen Management has a maximum cost-share amount per project of  65% of eligible project costs, up to a maximum cost-share amount of $30,000.

 Timeline

Intake opened on March 11, 2025, 9AM ET. The intake will close when the available funding has been fully allocated.