Apply and Claim

Steps in the process

1. Before you apply

Review program guidelines. Be sure to read the Program Guidelines and the Applicant Declaration to ensure you understand the program requirements and are eligible to receive funding.

Prepare your 4R Nutrient Stewardship Plan. If you don’t yet have a 4R Nutrient Stewardship Plan, work with a 4R designated agronomist (CCA or P.Ag.) to complete this requirement.

An application can’t be submitted for funding consideration until the verified 4R plan is in place, but you can complete the rest of the application in the meantime and save it as a draft. Once the 4R plan is in place, the grower and 4R designated agronomist can each update their attestations that the 4R plan is in place, and then the application can be submitted. If you have questions about the 4R program or 4R designation, please email: 4rdesignated@fertilizercanada.ca.

2. Registration

Before you start an application, you will need to register as a user on the Canola 4R Advantage digital portal and set up your profile. Even if you applied in year one, you will need to complete the simple registration process.

You can register as either a:

• Grower Applicant – the person with signing authority for the farm business
• 4R Designated Agronomist – A 4R Designated Agronomist working with growers on their applications and claims

Once registered, a Grower Applicant or 4R Designated Agronomist may also invite a Support Person to an application. A Support Person may be an employee, consultant or other person assisting a Grower Applicant or 4R Designated Agronomist with application(s). For example: a farm employee (who doesn’t have signing authority for the farm business), or an agronomic service provider employee (who isn’t a 4R Designated Agronomist).

Note that you only need to register once for a role. Your profile information will carry across all applications where you are assigned that role.

If you need to register for multiple roles, you will need to register with separate email addresses for each role.

To register, users will need to provide the following information:

• If registering as a Grower/Farm Business Applicant:
  • Legal name of farm business
  • Structure of farm business (individual, sole proprietorship or unincorporated, corporation, cooperative or partnership)
  • Contact information:
    • Grower name (must be a signing authority for the farm business)
    • Email
    • Phone number
    • Mailing address

• If registering as a 4R Designated Agronomist:
  • Business name
  • Contact information:
    • Name
    • Email
    • Phone number
    • Address
  • CCA or P.Ag. certification number
  • Fertilizer Canada 4R Designation date of issue

Once you’ve registered, you will be able to start your application.

3. Application

An application may be initiated either directly by a grower, or by a 4R designated agronomist on behalf of the grower, however both will be required to complete certain sections.

After one party starts an application, they will be able to invite the other party to the application. The other party will be emailed an invitation to join the application. After accepting the invitation (and registering for the new portal, if they haven’t already), they will see the application in “Draft” status when they log into the platform.

All mandatory information fields and attestations must be completed before an application can be submitted. You are able to save an application as a draft at any time and return to it later.

The application can be submitted by either the grower applicant or the 4R designated agronomist once all mandatory fields have been completed, and both the applicant and the 4R designated agronomist have completed their respective attestations.

4. CCC approval for participation

The CCC will review each application to ensure all requirements have been met and all necessary information has been provided. Approval of complete and eligible applications will be subject to funding availability for the grower’s Reconciliation Unit (RU) and BMP(s) selected.

How you will be notified

If your application is approved, you and your 4R designated agronomist will be notified by email. You and the CCC will then enter into a written agreement for the approved funding.

If your application cannot be approved, the reasons will be explained to you. It could be because a BMP category or RU is oversubscribed. If so, you will be placed on a waiting list and notified if more funding becomes available.

5. Submit receipts for claim

Once you are notified of your application approval, you can start submitting claim(s) for eligible expenses through the digital platform. All costs must be fully paid before a claim is submitted.

Separate claims must be submitted for each planting season included in your application. Claims can be prepared and submitted by either the Grower Applicant or the 4R designated agronomist, but both will need to complete a final attestation form before payment can be made.

If eligible costs for the soil testing and field zone mapping BMPs are billed as bundled services, you will be asked to allocate a fair market value portion of the bundled cost to each applicable BMP (excluding any portions for ineligible costs).

Mandatory information you will be asked to provide

• All claimed costs must be supported by both an invoice and proof of payment. Scans or digital photos of documents are acceptable.
• Invoices must be in the name of the applicant/farm business, dated, and include itemized costs & descriptions for the service/product purchased (e.g., service/product description, unit costs, total cost, location of soil samples, locations of soil zone maps, etc.)
• Proof of payment must be in the name of the applicant/farm business, and identify the amount, date and to whom a payment was made. Acceptable forms of proof of payment include:
  • Credit card or debit card receipt(s) of payment
  • Electronic payment confirmation(s)
  • Copy of front and back of cancelled cheque
  • Electronic image of processed cheque
  • Statement from banking institution indicating the date, amount and to whom a payment was made
  • Please note that credit card or debit card numbers and unrelated costs should be redacted/blacked out on proof of payment
• Details of your claimed BMP costs associated with each field location
• Details of your claimed costs for 4R plan development
• If applicable, any changes to the number of acres or field each BMP has been applied to, compared to your approved application
• If applicable, you will need to disclose the source and amounts of any additional funding received for the costs outlined in your claim(s)
• Your banking information to facilitate electronic funds transfer (EFT) payment
• Your CRA business number (for corporations, cooperatives or partnerships), or social insurance number (for sole proprietorships or unincorporated farm businesses), so that CCC can issue an annual AGR-1 Statement of Farm Support Payments form

Attestations required

Before payment can be made, you and your 4R designated agronomist will need to complete a final attestation form to attest that BMP activities were completed on the identified fields and that these fields were seeded to grow canola. Separate attestation forms must be submitted for each planting season covered by your application.

How your incentive will be calculated

Based on the information you provide, the application portal will calculate a preliminary estimate of the incentive amount you will receive. This estimate will equal 85 per cent of the costs you have entered, up to category maximums ($20,000 for each BMP, $5,000 for 4R Nutrient Stewardship Plan development), and a combined application maximum of $75,000. (A grower can receive no more than $75,000 from all OFCAF programs combined over the two-year lifetime of the program.)

The CCC will calculate the final eligible incentive once the claim has been reviewed. You will be notified when this final amount is approved for payment.

Keep your records

Be sure to keep all documents for seven years, including your receipts and 4R Nutrient Stewardship plans. They will be needed if your claim is randomly selected for audit after incentive payments are made.

The CCC may request any additional information deemed necessary to support the claim.

6. Receive payment

The CCC will send the incentive payment directly to your bank account by way of electronic funds transfer (EFT).

Payment timelines

Payments cannot be made until after all receipts and claim information have been submitted, BMP activities are completed, canola is planted on the identified field(s) and final attestations have been submitted by both the grower and agronomist.

Once you have submitted all requirements, it may take several weeks for payments to be processed.

Your tax paperwork

The CCC will also mail your AGR-1 Statement of Farm Support Payments form by February 28 of the following calendar year so you can claim the incentive payment as taxable income.

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Funding for Canola 4R Advantage has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF).

The Canola 4R Advantage information presented on this website is the latest available, and is subject to change without notice as the program evolves.