Farmers can now access more funding for environmental practices, but Farm Credit Canada is reporting in its newsletter that small farms might not be sustainable in the long run.

The FCC is quoting the Institute of Agri-Food Policy Innovation as saying more than half of Canada’s small farms are too small to be economically viable. Those comprise mainly those with incomes of less than $100,000 in annual sales, but the longterm outlook appears just as grim for those with less than $250,000, FCC reports.

Add to that the new environmental regulations — such as the Nutrient Management Act and Clean Water Act, among others — and the pressure on small, family farms becomes even greater.

But there might be a brighter side on the horizon. FCC also cites other studies as saying good management — in particular finding a market niche — could be a source of salvation.

And, in the meantime, the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP) has announced it is increasing its support for environmental practices to $50,000 from a previous $30,000 on a shared basis.

And, for farmers within the 1.8-million-acre Greenbelt, an organization calling itself Friends of Greenbelt is adding $1.4-million to the COFSP program. Friends of Greenbelt is a charitable organization organized in June 2005.

That’s probably good news for some, but Dufferin Federation of Agriculture president Barb Evans recently said that something in excess of 90 per cent of farmers in the present economy need an off-farm source of income just to keep their farms in production.

Some farmers in Dufferin have been saying that wind turbines have been a boon to their efforts to continue food production, as those provide a further source of on-farm income.

Under the COFSP program, completed projects would not be eligible for additional funding, but farms that have already participated may apply for funding for additional projects/

Both COFSP and the Friends of Greenbelt funding are administered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, for which the local representative is Jonathan Watchurst at 519- 942-1181, e-mail simcoe@ontariosoilcrop.org

Mr. Watchurst has details on program eligibility, Best Management Practice categories, etc. Details are also available at www.ontariosoilcrop. org