INVEST North Program — Regional Tile Drainage
Highlights
This program is a great opportunity for your agricultural business. It offers 50% funding for tile drainage contractor costs up to $500 per acre and 100% coverage for project management fees. This means you can significantly reduce your out-of-pocket expenses while improving your land's productivity.
What You Get:
- Up to $1,000,000 in funding
- 50% coverage of contractor costs
- 100% coverage of project management fees
Benefits:
- Increased crop yields and more productive growing seasons
- Improved quality of arable land
- Government-backed funding ensures reliability and support
Applying is straightforward, and you can expect a response within 2 to 4 weeks. This program is designed to help you enhance your agricultural operations with minimal financial strain.
Financing Details
Type of Financing: Conditional Contribution
Repayment Terms and Interest Rates:
- No repayment required unless specific conditions are not met.
- If a farmer ceases farming or sells the tiled land within five years, repayment may be required.
Eligible Expenses:
- Tile drainage contractor costs (materials and labour).
- Project management/administration fees of the service provider.
Use of Funds:
- Can be used for:
- 50% of tile drainage contractor costs, up to $500 per acre.
- 100% of project management/administration fees, up to $100 per acre.
- Cannot be used for:
- In-kind contributions (e.g., labour, farm machinery).
Fees:
- No additional fees associated with the program.
Qualifications
- Must be a not-for-profit, agricultural, or community organization.
- Must develop and administer a project on behalf of an identified consortium of producers.
- The consortium must be located in Northern Ontario.
- Individual producers within the consortium must:
- Make cash contributions of at least 10% of the contractor costs.
- Be "shovel-ready."
- Have a Farm Business Registration or written confirmation from Agricorp if exempt.
- Have at least a five-year written lease agreement for the property if they do not own it.
- Be identified at the time of application.
- The tile drainage must be installed by a licensed contractor.
- A map and identification of the property showing tile installation must be provided.
- The consortium service provider must maintain a detailed GPS map of the tiled areas.
An OMAFRA technical review is mandatory.
Disqualifications:
- In-kind contributions (labour, farm machinery, etc.) are ineligible.
- Individual producers who cease farming or sell the tiled lands within five years may need to repay the funding.
Description
This program helps your business improve its agricultural land by installing tile drainage. You can receive up to $1 million to cover 50% of the costs for tile drainage contractors, up to $500 per acre. Additionally, the program will cover 100% of the project management fees, up to $100 per acre.
The funding can be used for:
- Tile drainage contractor costs (materials and labor)
- Project management and administration fees
Your business will need to contribute at least 10% of the contractor costs. The tile drainage must be installed by a licensed contractor, and you must provide a map showing the tile installation.
This program offers a significant financial boost to make your land more productive, leading to better crop yields and more successful growing seasons.
Program Steps
Create an Account:
- Visit the application portal.
- Fill out the registration form with your first name, last name, user name, organization name, email, and password.
- Confirm your email and password.
Log In:
- Use your newly created credentials to log in to the application portal.
Prepare Documentation:
- Gather the following documents:
- Farm Business Registration or written confirmation from Agricorp if exempt.
- A minimum five-year written lease agreement for the property to be tiled (if the property is not owned).
- A detailed map and identification of the property showing tile installation.
- A GPS map of the areas tiled, in a mutually agreeable format.
- Confirmation from a licensed tile drainage contractor that the design complies with the Drainage Guide for Ontario.
- Gather the following documents:
Consult with OMAFRA:
- Contact the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) staff to discuss the viability of your proposed project.
- Ensure an OMAFRA technical review is completed as part of the due diligence process.
Complete the Application:
- Follow the onscreen instructions to fill out each section of the application form.
- Provide details about each farmer in the consortium, including their readiness and identification.
Submit the Application:
- Review all entered information and attached documents.
- Click "Submit application" to finalize your submission.
Await Response:
- The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) will review your application.
- Expect to hear back within 2 to 4 weeks regarding the status of your application.