Environmental Farm Plan

Generally, an advisor reaches out within 2-3 months, but this timeline can take a little longer depending on certain factors:

• A high number of EFP requests during the busy summer season.
• The availability of advisors in your geographical location.
• The commodity type.

Your advisor will be able to give you a timeline when they reach out. Many factors determine the length of time to complete an EFP, including the number of acres and complexity of your operation (i.e. riparian area, dairy operation, etc.)

A farm or ranch unit:

• Generally encompasses all the farming or ranching activities associated with a single Federal Business Number (formally known as the GST number);
• Encompasses all the agricultural activities usually associated with the farm unit;
• Normally includes all contiguous farm parcels but might also include remote parcels;
• May include land leased for a term equal to or exceeding five years;
• May include Crown lease land but not Crown license land;
• May include more than one agricultural enterprise; and,
• May consist of more than one owner.

What constitutes a “farm unit” is generally evident and determined by the Advisor during the producers on farm visit. If an Advisor is uncertain of what constitutes a “farm unit,” they may seek assistance from IAF staff.

Completed plans denote the following criteria:

• Producer has answered all the applicable Planning Workbook sections and completed all relevant Farm Review Worksheets. 
• All questions initially answered with a (?) have now either a Yes, No or N/A response. 
• An action plan has been developed to resolve all red and yellow box questions. 
• All red box and yellow box questions have been prioritized based on the rankings on Page 79 of the 2023 version of the Planning Workbook. 
• A Statement of Completion has been signed by both the producer and the Advisor. 

Red box answers are items where a provincial or federal regulation applies to the farm, and a change is necessary. Once you have no red box answers, you are eligible for implementation with your advisors’ consensus.

Steps to implement your EFP include:

• Ensuring all action items for all red box questions (those with high priority due to an associated high level of risk) have been achieved (i.e., turned green). 
• Verifying that you have addressed all the outstanding issues on their EFP Action Plan by:  
  • Reviewing the EFP Action Plan.  
  • Confirming all issues triggered by a red box in the EFP have been addressed.  
  • Confirming all Planning BMPs that the EFP triggered have been completed.  
• Review and sign your Statement of Implementation alongside an Advisor

Make sure to get started with this process a few months before your EFP’s expiry date to ensure you maintain your eligibility for BMP funding.

The renewal process consists of four steps:

Step 1: Click here to book an appointment with your Advisor. 

Step 2. Review the outdated workbook with your Advisor. If your previous Advisor has retired or left the program, IAF will connect you with a new Advisor.  

Step 3. The advisor will recommend actions to follow. 

Step 4: Once the required documents are submitted for review, there are three possible outcomes: 

Outcome 1: No changes to the operation impact environmental risks on their operation

• • The original workbook has been retained, and the Advisor has a working knowledge of the operation. 
  • The Advisor reviews the new and original planning workbook and signs off on the EFP Renewal Assessment Form. 
  • The Advisor will review the original and current planning workbooks, assessment form and any files, maps, etc., to be comfortable with the knowledge of the site. 
  • A new Statement of Completion will be issued, identifying the original workbook number, original date, new workbook number, and new completion date with all signatures present. 

Outcome 2: No changes that impact the environmental risks on their operation; the Advisor does not have a working knowledge of the operation or the original workbook has not been retained. 

• • The producer (you) acknowledges there has not been a change in operation, but the Advisor does not have a current working knowledge of the operation and its activities. The Advisor must complete a full site assessment and verify that the farm operation has not undergone a change that would impact the environmental risks identified in the original EFP. 
  • The Advisor will review the Assessment Form against the original and current Planning Workbook, plus any files, maps, etc., to become familiar with the site. The Advisor will assist the producer in completing an updated action plan with the current program materials. 
  • A new Statement of Completion will be issued, identifying the original workbook number, original date, new workbook number, and new completion date with all signatures present. 

Outcome 3: Changes that have impacted the environmental risk have occurred in operation. 

• • The producer (you) completes the EFP Renewal Assessment Form and indicates a change in their operation (e.g., greater than 20% change in acreage or animal) that they believe has impacted their environmental risk profile. 
  • The EFP must be treated as a new EFP instead of a renewal due to the change to its environmental risk profile. 
  • The Advisor will review the Renewal Assessment Form, the original EFP (if retained), any files, maps, etc., and complete a site inspection to the same degree as if it were a new EFP. The Advisor will assist the producer in completing an updated Action Plan and updating the property mapping.  

Your EFP number is a 7-digit number printed on the back cover of your EFP Workbook.