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EOFSC
EOFSC
EOFSC
EOFSC - Eastern Ontario Farm Stewardship Collaborative

Funding Available!

New! Marginal Lands Initiative

APPLY NOW!

Who Can Apply?

You may be eligible if:

1. The project location is on farmland

The project must take place on farmland as per Municipal Property Assessment Corporation definition of farmland. You can find this on your tax assessment. 

2. The landowner has an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) or is willing to get one

The landowner has to have an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) or be willing to work towards getting one. It’s a free, confidential and voluntary process offered through Ontario Soil and Crop. You can do either a two-day in person workshop or two, two-hour online webinars. Details can be found here: Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan – Ontario Soil Crop

3. The landowner is willing to sign a Land-Use agreement (10 year term)

The landowner needs to be willing to sign a Land-Use agreement for a term of 10 years. It is not registered on title but is a written confirmation that the landowner is willing to keep the project on the land for 10 years.

4. The project is located within the Project Delivery Area (see map)

  Eligible projects:

Buffer Planting & Fencing Along Waterways

Establishing or widening vegetated buffers (trees/shrubs) along streams, rivers or field edges, and installing fencing to protect watercourses from agricultural runoff or livestock access. These help reduce nutrient loss and protect water quality.

Conversion of Marginal Cropland to Grassland

Taking low-yielding, erosion-prone or otherwise marginal agricultural land, and converting it to permanent grassland, perennial forages, or native grasses. This can improve soil health, reduce erosion, sequester carbon, and provide habitat for wildlife

Wetland Restoration or Creation, Including Water Retention Ponds

Restoring degraded wetlands, creating new ones, or building water retention features (ponds) to manage excess runoff, improve water retention, and create wildlife habitat.

Pollinator‐Friendly Habitat

Establishing pollinator strips or other perennial cover (wildflowers, grasses) in field margins, or in other marginal field areas to support biodiversity, insects, pollinators, and to help with ecosystem services.

Tree & Shrub Plantings / Windbreaks

Planting trees or shrubs in marginal lands establishing wind breaks around field edges or farmyards to reduce wind erosion, or intercropping with trees where applicable.

Creation of Grassed Waterways

A grassed waterway is a shallow, grass-lined channel designed to slow runoff through farmer fields, prevent erosion, and filter out sediments before they reach waterways. It’s typically placed in areas where water naturally flows during heavy rain, helping protect both soil and water quality.

Purpose

The Eastern Ontario Farm Stewardship Collaborative is a network of organizations and programs operating across Eastern Ontario that collaborate to support on-farm/rural stewardship within the region. Each organization brings unique skills, expertise and resources to the collaborative, increasing its collective ability to offer funding and technical assistance for landowners engaged in stewardship work.

The purpose of the EOFSC is to bring together organizations, projects, and agencies to build capacity to advance the stewardship of land, water, and biodiversity through collaboration.

This stewardship work will be focused on farms and rural properties across the Eastern region of Ontario.

Benefits

Working together, the EOFSC can amplify the impact of our individual organizational resources.

In doing so, much can be accomplished, providing benefits to each member of the organization in achieving their goals.

Benefits for Farmers and Farmland Owners:

  • One-stop shop – If one partner can’t help you, they’ll refer you to others you need to connect with.
  • Site visits – Partners involved will meet on site with you to discuss options for your property.
  • Technical assistance – Design, Permits, Volunteers
  • Additional funding – In many cases, projects are eligible for funding from more than one member of the Collaborative, and we can help you maximize the amount of support for your project
  • Working with a team!
Farmers are Conservationists
A Solid Solution for Erosion
Creating an On-Farm Wetland
Got Land? Plant Trees!
Become a Stewardship Champion
Engineer Answers Questions about Constructed Wetlands
Agronomist Answers Questions about Cover Crops
Forester Answers Questions about Windbreaks
Agri-Action Farm Tours – Part Two
Agri-Action Farm Tours – Part One

We support projects like:

  • Grassland Restoration
  • Wetland Restoration
  • Erosion Control
  • Tree Planting
  • Cover Crops
  • Controlled Tile Drainage
  • Land Retirement Incentives
  • Fuel and Fertilizer Storage
  • And many more!

 

Want financial or technical support?

Please complete this form to find out how you can receive financial and technical support to complete environmental improvement projects on your farm or rural property.

Questions as a landowner? Want to join the collaborative as an organization?

Please reach out to info@eofsc.ca

Smith Falls Farm Wetland
The Smith Falls Farm Wetland was a partnership between ALUS Lanark and DUC. A 0.55 acres wetland was restored at the headwaters of a farm drain, providing open water habitat which is important for waterfowl and many other species which rely on wetland habitat.
The Dalkeith Farm wetland was a partnership between ALUS Ontario East, DUC, and the OSCIA RALP program. Four small wetlands were constructed for a total of 3 acres of wetland restoration. The wetlands were constructed in fields that had reduced productivity due to flooding. This project will increase the biodiversity on the property and the productivity of the farm.
The Dalkeith Farm wetland was a partnership between ALUS Ontario East, DUC, and the OSCIA RALP program. Four small wetlands were constructed for a total of 3 acres of wetland restoration. The wetlands were constructed in fields that had reduced productivity due to flooding. This project will increase the biodiversity on the property and the productivity of the farm.
Gananoque Wetland
The Gananoque Wetland is an 18-acre engineered wetland located within the marginal area of a private landowner’s fields. This project was completed in partnership with DUC, OSCIA SARPAL, and Watersheds Canada. DUC led the design and construction of the wetland while also providing some of the funding. The landowner applied for OSCIA’s SARPAL program to help offset the remaining costs of the wetland construction. Watersheds Canada carried out the riparian buffer planting. This project will act as a brood habitat for waterfowl and a stop over location for migrating birds.

Members

ALUS Ontario East

ALUS Ontario East

Contact: Brendan Jacobs – OntarioEastALUS@gmail.com

Program Link: https://alus.ca/alus_community/alus-ontario-east/

ALUS Ontario East works with farmers and ranchers to enhance ecosystem services on marginal, inefficient, and fragile areas and on lands that can be managed in a different manner through projects that best suit their farming operations. ALUS participants receive an annual payment for every acre enrolled in the program in exchange for managing and maintaining projects that increase ecosystem services that benefit both their farm and wider community..

Cataraqui Conservation​

Cataraqui Conservation

Contacts:
Haven Jerreat-Poole – hjerreat-poole@crca.ca
Hailey Esdon – hesdon@crca.ca 

Comms Staff: Krista Fazackerley – kfazackerley@crca.ca

Programs Link: https://cataraquiconservation.ca/pages/treeplanting

Clean Farms
Clean Farms

Clean Farms

Contact: Kim Timmer – timmerk@cleanfarms.ca

Ducks Unlimited Canada

Ducks Unlimited Canada

Contacts: Mikayla Stinson – m_stinson@ducks.ca Meredith Meeker – m_meeker@ducks.ca

Comms Staff: Elizabeth Oakley – e_oakley@ducks.ca

Program Links: https://ag.ducks.ca/programs/ontario/

Just Food

Just Food

Contact: Noel Dhingra – farm@justfood.ca

www.justfood.ca

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority
Mississippi Valley CA
ALUS Mississippi - Rideau
ALUS Mississippi Rideau

Mississippi Valley CA & ALUS Mississippi Rideau

Member: Marissa Okum – mokum@mvc.on.ca

Program Links: MVCA

Muskrat Watershed Council
Muskrat Watershed Council

Muskrat Watershed Council

Contact: Karen Coulas – chair@muskratwatershedcouncil.com

Comms Staff: Amanda Walt – media@muskratwatershedcouncil.com

Program Link: https://www.muskratwatershedcouncil.com/projects

Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association
OSCIA

Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association

Contact: Jennifer Nash – jnash@ontariosoilcrop.org

Program Link: www.ontariosoilcrop.org/cost-share-programs/

Email Notice: www.ontariosoilcrop.org/subscribe-to-our-programs-mailing-list/

Quinte Conservation Authority

Quinte CA

Contact: Lindsay Nash – LNash@quinteconservation.ca

Comms Staff: Taylor Hermiston – THermiston@quinteconservation.ca

Landowner Resources: Landowner Resources – Quinte Conservation

Program Link for grants: www.bqrap.ca

Raisin Region Conservation Authority
Raisin Region Conservation Authority

Raisin Region CA

Contact: Jessica Herrington – jessica.herrington@rrca.on.ca

Comms Staff: Vincent Pilon – vincent.pilon@rrca.on.ca

Stewardship Services: https://rrca.on.ca/page.php?id=20

From tree planting and grassland improvements, to agriculture best management practices and land donations, the RRCA offers landowner stewardship incentives to enhance forest cover, mitigate natural hazards such as flooding and erosion, improve water quality, and conserve and restore sensitive ecological habitat.

Renfrew County Stewardship Council
Renfrew County Stewardship Council

Renfrew County Stewardship Council

Contact: Lyndsey McLellan – renfrewcounty.stewardship@gmail.com

Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority

Rideau Valley CA

Contact: Derek Matheson – derek.matheson@rvca.ca

Comms Staff: Emma Jackson – emma.jackson@rvca.ca

Program Link: https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/explore

South Nation Conservation

South Nation CA

Contact: Michelle Cavanagh – MCavanagh@nation.on.ca

Comms Staff: Erin Thorne – ethorne@nation.on.ca

Program Links:
Grant Programs | South Nation Conservation Authority – this one has most of the landowner programs.
Forestry Services | South Nation Conservation Authority – this is for forestry related programs.

Watersheds Canada
Watersheds Canada

Watersheds Canada

Contact: Chantal LeFevre – naturaledge@watersheds.ca

Comms Staff: Monica Seidel – seidel@watersheds.ca

Program Link:
https://watersheds.ca/our-work/
https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca/

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