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SPRING GREETINGS FROM THE AAC

Welcome Spring! This is the season of warmer weather, longer days and welcome sunshine after a dreary winter. This bright outlook mirrors the mood here at the AAC. There’s a lot of activity with new additions to our staff and board, new programs to deliver and new opportunities to serve our industry.

We are pleased with the enthusiastic response to the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative. The application intake opened February 15th and applications can be submitted online until March 28th at 11:00 a.m. (EST) through the new AAC Application Portal. AAC staff are preparing to review the many applications received and hope to provide funding notifications in early June. We are actively recruiting a roster of agri-food production and processing experts to help assess the technical merits of the applications including elements of sector innovation, advanced manufacturing and expected levels of energy efficiencies through the application of new equipment, technologies and processes. If you are interested or know of someone with expertise in these fields we encourage you to apply via the links appearing in this issue.

The AAC is also active in the delivery of our other funding programs. The first round applications have been approved for the Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative and Veterinary Incentive Program. The final claim deadline is quickly approaching on April 15 for the Supply Chain Sustainability and Adaptability Program and staff are busy processing claims as they are received.

This spring we will have many opportunities to connect with industry stakeholders. We will be conducting a membership survey and will be actively involving the agri-food community in activities related to our 2050 Committee which will identify opportunities to support our sector in the years to come.

As always, we’d like to hear from you. If you have questions about our programs and services, membership, or involvement in our work, please reach out to our team. We’re happy to make the connection!

Melanie DiReto, AAC Executive Director 

AGRI-TECH INNOVATION INITIATIVE INTAKE DEADLINE MARCH 28

The Agricultural Adaptation Council is now accepting applications for the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative (ATII). Applications will be received until the intake close, March 28th, 2024, 11am EST.

The program has three application streams:

Stream 1 – Agri-Tech Innovation (total Eligible Costs per Project less than $100,000), cost-share for innovative commercially available equipment and technology to support growth and productivity. 

Stream 2 – Agri-Tech Innovation (total Eligible Costs per Project $100,000 and greater), cost-share for innovative commercially available equipment and technology to support growth and productivity. 

Stream 3 – Agri-Tech Energy Costs Savings, cost-share for energy (greenhouse gas) cost saving equipment and technology. 

The Agricultural Adaptation Council is delivering the Initiative on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Full details about the initiative including eligibility and the application process are available on the AAC website. 

Applicants can submit and track applications online using AAC's Application Portal. All applications will be reviewed after the intake closes on March 28, not on a first-come, first-served basis.

This cost-share funding program is being offered through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). Sustainable CAP is a five-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. 

CALL FOR TECHNICAL REVIEWERS

Are you committed to the advancement of Ontario’s Agri-food sector? Are you a leader in Ontario’s agri- food production or processing industry? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Agricultural Adaptation Council is seeking agri-food production and processing experts to assist with the review of project applications to the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative (ATII).

We are looking for individuals who are well versed in Ontario’s current agri-food production and processing practices and have insight into available equipment, technology and processes that might propel our industry forward.

Specifically, we are seeking industry specialists that will provide third-party confirmation that project applications meet our criteria of innovation and/or advanced manufacturing or result in energy cost-savings. They will help assess projects in terms of novelty, the broader benefits provided, that they drive competitiveness and the level of risk incurred.

External reviews will be completed from early April to early May. Reviews may take up to two hours, depending on the complexity of the project. Honorariums are available for time committed.

Eligible businesses will apply to ATII for cost-share funding for new or modified equipment and technology including automation, robotics, and digitization along with improved cyber security and efforts to enhance energy efficiency.

Reviewers will be drawn from both Ontario’s agri-food production and food processing sectors. We ask that you identify your sector and expertise in the following reviewer application.  

CURRENT OPEN PROGRAMS

Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative 

The Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative provides cost-share funding support for deadstock management. It addresses immediate and short-term deadstock capacity needs at businesses and municipalities in Ontario. The $1.5 million initiative, funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), will run for two years subject to the availability of funding allocated to the Initiative.

The maximum cost-share funding assistance available for a project is up to 40 per cent of total eligible costs to a maximum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) in funding per project. The intake will close on 11:59 pm EST September 15, 2024 or when the funding has been fully allocated.

The Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative (the Initiative) is funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). Sustainable CAP is a five-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector. The Agricultural Adaptation Council is delivering the Initiative on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Veterinary Incentive Program

Veterinary Incentive Program provides grants for newly licensed veterinarians who practice on food animals in underserviced areas of Ontario. The $5 million program provides eligible veterinarians with up to $50,000 in grant payments.

The Veterinary Incentive Program is funded by the Government of Ontario to provide grants for Newly Licensed Veterinarians who practice on Food Animals in Underserviced Areas of Ontario. The Agricultural Adaptation Council is delivering the Program on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

NEW FACES AT THE AAC!

Dawn Ballon - AAC Staff

Dawn joins the AAC Communications team as Marketing and Communications Coordinator. Having graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a degree in Communications, Dawn is passionate about storytelling. Having started her career in the private sector, she is excited to leverage her skills in the non-profit sector!

Albert Fledderus - AAC Board

Albert Fledderus is a dairy farmer from Lowbanks, Ontario. Albert joins the AAC board in 2024 representing suppy management. Albert has served on the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario since 2015, representing milk producers in the counties of Brant, Haldimand, Halton, Niagara, Norfolk, and Wentworth.

SOMETHING SWEET IS HAPPENING THIS MONTH

March means all things maple in Ontario. The AAC is pleased to spotlight our members and their activities to celebrate the season!

Maple Weekend with The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association

Ontario Maple Syrup Producers' Association hosts Maple Weekend the first weekend in April every year.

Maple Weekend is a great opportunity for consumers to get up close to a local maple syrup producers and see first-hand how maple syrup is made. Producers provide visitors with an opportunity to learn more about the traditions of maple sugaring and an opportunity to taste why pure Ontario maple syrup has long been a favourite springtime treat.

Click here for full details.

Farm & Food Care Ontario's Breakfast from the Farm

Get ready to flip and dip with Farm & Food Care Ontario at their breakfast event from the Farm nestled within the festival's vibrant Farm Discovery Zone. Indulge in a farm-fresh breakfast amidst the syrupy festivities that draw around 80,000 visitors annually!

Date: Saturday April 6th

Time: 9am to 3pm

Location: Elmira Maple Syrup Festival

Sweeten your day with these Maple Syrup fun facts!

• Did you know Canada produces 85% of the world’s supply of maple syrup?
• Did you know a Sugar maple tree can produce approximately 40 litres of sap every year?
• Did you know it takes 40 litres of sap to produce 1 litre of maple syrup?

Indulge your sweet tooth with cool maple syrup confectionary ideas, found on the OMSPA website