Ottawa, Queen's Park dole out $12M to protect farms from extreme weather

The federal and provincial governments are spending $12 million to better protect Ontario's farm lands from extreme weather and its agricultural toll.

The money, $12.2 million to be exact, is financing 213 projects and supports the planting of grasslands and trees, reducing tillage and creating water retention ponds, government officials said. The goal is to aid farmers' resilience against extreme weather.

“Our hardworking farmers face many challenges that are outside of their control, especially when it comes to extreme weather events and the impacts from climate change,” said federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay said in a statement.

READ: How extreme weather affects prices along the food supply chain

The program, officially known as the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, is being delivered by a non-profit, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association. MacAulay said that the program would help farmers protect their land against unpredictable challenges so growth can continue.

Rob Flack is MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London and Ontario's agriculture minister. He offered similar remarks in a statement. “We want to support our world-class Ontario farmers with lasting on-farm improvements to help secure long-term growth and environmental resilience for a stronger agri-food sector.”

Officials say eligible applicants could get $30 per acre for reduced tillage—the preparation and cultivation of soil before and after planting—and as much as $25,000 per acre to establish of new wetlands on farmland.

The program is the latest partnership between the federal and provincial government to aid farmers. Last month they announced several agricultural companies in and around the London area would receive $22 million in funding to improve their operations.