Agricultural Stewardship Initiative
by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness
Also known as: ASI · Sustainable CAP cost-share (stewardship)
The Agricultural Stewardship Initiative is Ontario's Sustainable CAP cost-share program for on-farm best management practices, soil health, water quality, erosion control structures, nutrient management, manure storage and energy efficiency. Reported per-applicant funding runs $6,000-$90,000 (exact percentages per category sit in the OSCIA program guide). Delivered by OSCIA through periodic intakes; the fourth intake closed July 29, 2026. You need an FBRN, premises ID, and a current Environmental Farm Plan.
Key facts
- Amount
- $6,000 – $90,000 Reported per-applicant cost-share range $6,000-$90,000 for soil health, water quality and energy efficiency projects; exact cost-share percentages and category caps are set in the OSCIA program guide per BMP category
Against all tracked amounts, $1,000 to $500,000,000, logarithmic.
canada.ca · Last verified Oct 1, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source
- Instrument
- Grant (non-repayable)
- Status
- Intake closed next window not yet announced
- Your share
- Cost-share percentages vary by best-management-practice category and are published in the OSCIA program guide; the guide's per-category percentages could not be confirmed from the pages fetched.
programguides.ontariosoilcrop.org · Last verified Oct 1, 2026 · Uncertain: confirm with funder
- Who qualifies
- Businesses
- farm businesses
- Farm Business Registration Number (FBRN) or exemption documentation
- Valid premises identification (PID) number
- Certificate of completion for a 4th or 5th Edition Environmental Farm Plan
- Letter of support from an accredited Ontario Agricultural Advisor
ontariosoilcrop.org · Last verified Oct 1, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source
- Where
- Algoma District · Cochrane District · Greater Sudbury (single-tier census division) · Kenora District · Manitoulin District · Nipissing District · Parry Sound District · Rainy River District · Sudbury District (excl. Greater Sudbury) · Thunder Bay District · Timiskaming District · District Municipality of Muskoka
11 of 11 Northern Ontario districts are eligible for this program. A filled dot is eligible, an outline is not.
- Built for
- Farms & agri-food
When can you apply?
Fourth intake ran July 8, 2026 (9:00 am ET) to July 29, 2026 (3:00 pm ET), now closed; watch OSCIA for the next intake announcement
| Cycle | Opens | Closes | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Intake 4 (Sustainable CAP) NEW SLUG (agricultural-stewardship-initiative; alternative: sustainable-cap-asi). OSCIA-delivered Sustainable CAP cost-share ($6k-$90k). Intake 4 ran Jul 8, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET - Jul 29, 2026 3:00 p.m. ET (cross-confirmed via OMSPA and ONfloriculture announcements). Page now shows 'Not Accepting Applications'; NO next intake announced, next window unknown, do not infer. |
Jul 8, 2026 | Jul 29, 2026 15:00 | Closed | ontariosoilcrop.org · Unconfirmed as of Aug 24, 2026; confirm with funder · Auto-checked against official source |
How do you apply?
- Create an account on the OSCIA Portal (osciaportal.org)
- Complete program enrolment
- Submit application during an open intake window
- If approved, implement the BMP project and submit claims
ontariosoilcrop.org · Last verified Oct 1, 2026 · Auto-checked against official source
July 8, 2026, 9:00 am ET ... July 29, 2026, 3:00 pm ET
Can you combine this with other funding?
- Tile Loan Program, Complementary rather than stacked: ASI does not list tile drainage installation as an eligible cost-share category; drainage installation is financed instead through the repayable Tile Loan Program, while ASI cost-shares adjacent stewardship work such as erosion control structures.
Common questions
Can northern Ontario farms apply to ASI?
Yes, ASI is province-wide and delivered by OSCIA, which has regional associations across the North. Standard requirements apply: FBRN (or exemption), premises ID, a 4th/5th Edition Environmental Farm Plan, and a letter from an accredited Ontario Agricultural Advisor.
Does ASI cover tile drainage?
Tile drainage installation is not among ASI's listed categories. Ontario finances tile drainage separately through the Tile Loan Program (a repayable loan up to 75% of work value). ASI does cover related stewardship work like erosion control structures.
When is the next ASI intake?
The fourth intake closed July 29, 2026. Intakes are announced periodically through OSCIA, join their program email list or watch ontariosoilcrop.org for the next window.
How much funding does ASI provide?
Government announcements report successful applicants receive between $6,000 and $90,000 depending on the project. Cost-share percentages vary by BMP category per the OSCIA program guide, verify your category's rate before budgeting.
Where else could this money come from?
Chosen by what these programs have in common with this one, not by hand. The reason is shown for each, so you can judge whether it holds.
-
Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program
Paused same funder (OMAFRA); both for farms & agri-food; agriculture, sustainable cap, stewardship — Not published
Notes on this record
Delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) on behalf of the federal and Ontario governments under Sustainable CAP. The $6,000-$90,000 range comes from the June 2026 Canada-Ontario $12M announcement; canada.ca blocked automated fetch (HTTP 403), so it is marked reported rather than verified. Verified eligible categories include: energy assessments, energy efficiency improvements, soil compaction reduction equipment, manure application/storage, nutrient management and soil health planning, erosion control structures, and organic amendments.
Apply
Apply on the funder’s site and confirm current terms there: