Farm businesses that file farm business taxes in Ontario as demonstrated by:
• A valid farm business registration number (FBRN)For information on registering a farm business and/or a religious exemption, visit Overview (agricorp.com).
        OR
• A Religious Exemption Letter provided by the OMAFRA Appeal Tribunal (provide with application submission)
        OR
• A Cultural Exemption Letter provided by the Indian Agricultural Program of Ontario to First Nations farmers, verifying the farm business operates in a First Nations community (provide with application submission)
         OR
• An income exemption from the Farm Property Class Tax Rate Program (i.e., Start-up farm businesses, Business structure change, Not a normal production year, Age/Illness/Death of a spouse) (provided with application submission)

Applicants must:
• Have a verified, 4^th Edition Environmental Farm Plan;
• Be willing to enter into a signed Land Use Agreement with OSCIA, committing the farm business to maintaining the proposed practice on the acres being applied for, for a set timeline; and,
• Be in compliance with all requirements of the law and must remain in compliance for the duration of the project.

Applicants must be undertaking their project on eligible lands, including:
• Privately owned farmland, including all managed lands for agricultural production (e.g., crop land, grazing, orchards, etc.), as well as wetlands, woodlots, and yard sites associated with farming operations;
• Land rented for agricultural production from a third-party;
• Federal, Provincial, Municipal, or Territorial Crown Land, under lease for the purpose of agricultural practices; or,
• Indigenous lands being managed for the purpose of agricultural production.

Funding is to support the maintenance or establishment of tree and shrub plantings on agricultural landscapes, including:

• Site maintenance, increasing density or diversity, or enhancement of existing trees:
  • Establishing weed and/or rodent control for existing tree plantings (including but not limited to mulch, wood chips, mowing, tree guards)
  • Planting new trees and/or shrubs within an existing stand (such as a windbreak and buffer strip), to enhance their function, using techniques that adhere to practices that would typically be advocated by a qualified third-party specialist (e.g., professional forester)
  • Site preparation (including but not limited to mowing or spraying)
  • A minimum of 2 or more species of trees/shrubs must be planted with a minimum density of 700/trees or shrubs/acre achieved.
• New tree plantings where there are no trees currently on the landscape, including:
  • Establishing weed and/or rodent control systems for new tree plantings (including but not limited to mulch, wood chips, mowing, tree guards)
  • Site preparation (including but not limited to mowing or spraying)
  • Tree or shrub planting, using techniques that adhere to practices that would typically be advocated by a qualified third-party specialist (e.g., professional forester)
  • If establishing a new stand, a minimum density of 700/trees or shrubs/acre must be planted with four or more species of trees/shrubs represented.

Both native and non-native, non-invasive tree species are eligible. A list of native species can be found at www.ontariotrees.com.

Funding is available under RALP at a per-acre rate for approved acres where new tree and shrub plantings are established or where existing tree plantings are maintained or enhanced.

• $2,000/acre for enhancement of existing tree/shrub plantings through site maintenance, increasing density and/or diversity
• $3000/acre for new tree/shrub plantings where there are no trees/shrubs currently on the landscape.

An initial payment of fifty per cent (50%), up to a maximum of $30,000 of funding will be issued upon the applicant beginning their project and the signing of a Land Use Agreement between the applicant and OSCIA. The balance will be issued once the eligible, approved practice is fully implemented, verified and a complete claim is submitted.

Applicants may have up to two active applications across all project categories at any given time in the intake.

RALP aims to provide long-term carbon sequestration through the use of Land Use Agreements. Before the first funding payment can be issued, approved RALP applicants are required to sign a Land Use Agreement with OSCIA.

In the Agreement to support eligible practices in the Tree and Shrub Planting project category, participants commit to implement and maintain the approved project for a minimum of five (5) years. The Agreement is not on title, but producers must notify OSCIA of land ownership or control changes. If the current farmer is not the landowner, a written lease agreement between the landowner and the applicant farm business indicating that the land is managed by the applicant, must be included with the application.

Note: OSCIA reserves the right to verify practice implementation including conducting inspections before the final payment is issued and throughout the duration of the Land Use Agreement. If the practice is not maintained as outlined in the approved application and signed Land Use Agreement, applicants will be required to repay all funding received for the approved project.

Applications are evaluated based only on the information submitted and will not be considered if they do not meet the eligibility criteria or if they are incomplete.

Be sure to carefully review the Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program guide in entirety. Before you can apply, you will need to visit osciaportal.org and create a user account. Once you have created a user account, if the intake is open, you will be able to enrol and submit an application.

You must include all of the information listed under Documentation Required With the Application with your application submission. You will be required to provide a detailed work plan on your application form that clearly outlines your commitment to implementing the proposed, eligible practice. You will also be required to enter into a Land Use Agreement upon approval of your application. If the required documentation is not received with the submission, the application may be considered incomplete and denied funding.

Applications are only accepted during the application intakes dates noted above.

The Enrolment and Application Form and all required documentation can be submitted electronically through the OSCIA Portal:
If the intake is not currently accepting applications, you may still visit osciaportal.org to create a user account and be ready for upcoming opportunities.

If an application is approved for an allocation, written confirmation will be provided by OSCIA by email. This approval letter will include:

• Confirmation of eligible invoice dates and project completion and claim submission deadlines.
• A Land Use Agreement, which must be entered into by the applicant before the initial payment can be issued.
• Information required with the claim submission.
• Links to the necessary documents (e.g., Claim Form, Electronic Funds Transfer Form, Claim Questionnaire, etc.).
• Information on how to submit the claim.

The applicant must enter into a signed Land Use Agreement with OSCIA, committing the approved farm business to maintain the eligible practice for a set period of time , and the signed Agreement must be included with the initial claim submission.

The project must be complete, operational, and fully paid for before a final claim is submitted. Every claim for the Tree and Shrub Planting category must be supported by at least one of the following:

• Five to six photos of the project site(s) taken after the project is complete with the date(s) the photos were taken, a geo-referenced point (i.e., identifiable landmark) and GPS coordinates.
• Written confirmation from the Conservation Authority, Ducks Unlimited Canada, or a Professional Forrester, that confirms the tree/shrub establishment and its outcomes.

Note: OSCIA reserves the right to verify project implementation including conducting a site inspection before the final payment is issued and throughout the duration of the land use agreement. If the project is not maintained as outlined in the approved application and signed Land Use Agreement, applicants will be required to repay all funding received for the approved project.

Payments are made by electronic funds transfer (EFT) in the name of the legal business. All funding is considered income to the business for tax purposes. OSCIA will issue a tax form (AGR-1) and report the amount paid to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); this is why an applicant’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) is collected if the applicant does not have a CRA Business Number. Only one claim can be submitted per project per program year, and only one payment will be made per claim.

If you have any questions about program requirements, project timelines or claim submission dates, contact OSCIA at:
s-cap@ontariosoilcrop.org.