Apply for Research Funding
The intake to apply for Farmer-Led Research is now open!
There are three streams of funding available through EFAO’s Farmer-Led Research Program, depending on your interest, capacity, and research goals.
1. Conduct a trial of your own.
Apply for a research, variety, or breeding trial using this application. Read here for details.
Deadline: January 14, 2024 @ 11:59PM
2. Join a continuing trial.
For 2024, these include: no-till potato trials and plant available nitrogen from cover crops. Read below for details.
Deadline: January 14, 2024 @ 11:59PM
3. Join a new multi-farm trial.
Read here for more details. Look for opportunities in the February E-newsletter.
Deadline TBA.
Continuing trials offered for 2024
No-till potato trials
Work with EFAO staff to adapt the no-till methods developed and tested by EFAO farmer-researchers to fit your farm, and contribute to the data collection for these systems in Ontario. Trial methods including:
- No-till planting potatoes using mulch (woodchips, hay/straw, compost)
- No-till planting potatoes using a rye cover crop planted the season prior
These trials are continuing the work done by Ken Laing at Orchard Hill Farm and Matt Jones of Jones Family Greens and Patti Charbonneau of Elderberry Hollow.
Trial participants receive
- Data specific to their farm about planting potatoes no-till
- Opportunity to participate in a research network.
- Support from EFAO’s research team and community
- Stipend of $1000
Plant available nitrogen from cover crops network
Work with EFAO staff to sample biomass and soil from cover cropped areas on your farm, and contribute to a regional database of nitrogen availability from cover crops to better inform fertility management.
- Any cover crop you are finding worthwhile growing for organic vegetable production is eligible.
- Data collection required includes taking time sensitive samples of the cover crop biomass and cover cropped soil and mailing the samples to the participating lab within 24 hours of sampling; along with recording seeding rate, planting and termination dates and methods.
- EFAO will provide sampling bags, postage, and cover the cost of the lab fees for the biomass and soil analyses.
- EFAO will provide online and in person training for biomass and soil sampling.
This trial is continuing the work done by Jesse Way of Milky Way Farm, which you can read about here.
Trial participants receive
- Data specific to their farm about the plant available nitrogen from their cover crops
- Opportunity to participate in a research network and contribute to an open access database for organic vegetable production.
- Support from EFAO’s research team and community
- Stipend of $1000 + sampling costs (bags, postage, lab fees)
Read more about the Farmer-Led Research Program
Read the Research FAQ