Overview · NOHFC

The Regional Tile Drainage Initiative is designed to support the agriculture sector in installing tile drainage to increase the amount and improve the quality of arable land in Northern Ontario resulting in more productive growing seasons and increased crop yields for producers.

Who is Eligible?

Not-for-profit, agricultural or community organizations that would, on behalf of an identified consortium of producers, develop and administer a project to install tile drainage within a specific region (i.e., a consortium service provider).

What is Eligible?

Tile drainage contractor costs (materials and labour)
Project management/administration fees of the service provider
Land to be tiled can be in production or new acreage

Funding

Funding is in the form of a conditional contribution, and will support the following:

50 per cent of tile drainage contractor costs to a maximum of $500 per acre, and
100 per cent of the project management/administration fees of the service provider which is calculated as 10 per cent of the contractor costs to a maximum of $100 per acre.

The maximum investment from the NOHFC will not exceed the lesser of 50% or $1 million towards eligible project costs.

Program Requirements

The individual producers must make cash contributions of at least 10 per cent of the contractor costs (materials and labour) specific to their individual acreage.
The installation of tile drainage must be completed by a contractor licensed for tile drainage installation and that the contractor confirm that their design is in compliance with the Drainage Guide for Ontario.
A copy of a map and identification of property showing tile installation must be provided with requests for payment to NOHFC.
In-kind contributions (labour, farm machinery, etc.) are ineligible.
The consortium service provider is required to maintain and present for final payment to the NOHFC a detailed GPS map of the areas tiled in a mutually agreeable format.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) staff on viability of proposed projects.
An OMAFRA technical review is a mandatory part of the due diligence process.

FAQ

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Q: If my consortium’s project is approved, how long do I have to complete my project?

Q: What happens if a farmer drops out of the consortium?

Q: Do individual farmers have to be identified at the time of making an application?

Q: Are there any requirements for a farmer to be eligible for and included in a project’s consortium?

A. A farmer must meet the following requirements to be included in the consortium:

The farmer must be “shovel-ready”
The farmer must have a Farm Business Registration
If the farmer is exempted from the Farm Business Registration, please submit written confirmation from Agricorp.
While the farmer does not have to own the property to be tiled, they must have at a minimum a five-year written lease agreement for the property which must be provided to the organization administering the project.
If a farmer who received funding under the program ceases farming completely or sells the lands tiled within five years of the date the tiling was completed on their property, they may be required to repay the NOHFC conditional contribution. The not-for-profit organization administering the tile drainage project should be notified if this occurs.
The farmer’s funding is based on per acre tiled. NOHFC will not fund the tiling of the same acre of land twice.