NOHFC Tile drainage and land clearing program meetings
These meetings will be held to develop consortium No. 2, for submission of an NOHFC application for tiling and land clearing projects. If interested in tiling or land clearing, consider attending one of these meetings: November 2, 7:30 pm at the Service Ontario Office, 25 Meredith Street in Gore Bay and November 4, 7:30 pm, at the Spring Bay Hall, 92 Hwy 542 in Spring Bay. NOHFC is accepting applications for regional land clearing and/or tile drainage projects under the Strategic Economic Infrastructure Program: (http://nohfc.ca/en/programs/strategic-economic-infrastructure-program). Who is eligible? The applicant would be a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization that will develop/submit funding applications and administer approved funding on behalf of NOHFC. The applicant would work within its region to build a consortium of producers interested in undertaking land clearing/tile drainage projects. What is eligible? Land clearing and/or tile drainage contractor costs (materials and labour) and the project management/administration fees of the service provider are eligible for support. The land can be already in production or be new acreage. Funding: NOHFC will fund 50 per cent of land clearing and/or tile drainage contractor costs to a maximum of $500 per acre and 100 per cent of the project management/administration fees, which is calculated as 10 percent of the contractor costs to a maximum of $50 per acre. Funding is in the form of a conditional contribution. General guidelines: The individual producers must make cash contributions of at least 10 percent of the contractor costs (materials and labour) specific to their individual acreage. For additional information please call Brian Bell, OMAFRA, at 705-282-1638.
Growing Forward 2 applications
Growing Forward 2 is accepting another round of applications from November 16 to December 7. You might have a food safety project for your produce operation that could be eligible for funding. Consider sending in an application if you are looking to improve food safety for your fruit and/or vegetable farm. You may be eligible if you have a project that will contribute to: Your operation being ready to obtain an audit to a national or international food safety program; Laboratory documentation validating your cleaning and sanitation procedures and/or acceptable water quality and/or acceptable pathogen levels in compost; Building upgrades that prevent food safety risks from occurring (e.g., shatterproof lighting, cleanable surfaces, air curtain to separate incompatible areas); Equipment that will immediately reduce a food safety risk (e.g. bin washer, knife sanitizer, automated sanitation chemical dispenser, water treatment equipment). Growing Forward 2 has established projects that address food safety through worker practices, pest control, pre and post-harvest water, soil amendments and cleaning and sanitizing as the highest priority.