Farmers invited to apply for Experimental Acres funding program

Farmers in Grey County can once again apply for funding through the 2026 Experimental Acres program, launched January 9 at Grey-Bruce Farmers’ Week. The program helps farmers offset the financial risk of experimenting with innovative practices that support building soil health through sustainable practices. Entering its fourth year, Experimental Acres has supported a range of innovative projects across Grey County. The program is evolving this year with newly available multi-year funding for select projects that require multiple years to demonstrate soil health value.

Applications will be accepted through February 28, 2026. Interested farmers can learn more and apply at www.grey.ca/experimental-acres.

Applications can fall into one of three categories:

1) Living Roots and Green Cover projects which extend the time soil is covered or has living roots in it;

2) Innovation for projects that implement new farm practices; and

3) Integrating Animals on the Farm for projects that incorporate livestock into farm systems.

Experimental Acres is designed to reduce the financial barriers to trying new practices while helping farmers prepare for larger funding opportunities. Beyond financial support, the program provides soil testing and opportunities for education and networking with fellow participants. Applicants whose projects cannot be funded this year may remain eligible for soil testing.

Grey County beef farmer and Experimental Acres past participant Peter Kotzeff overseeded turnip into wheat to extend his fall grazing and reduce feed costs. "My biggest cost is stored feed costs. When I'm using a cover crop after wheat, I like a mixture of oats, peas, and a couple pounds of turnips - adding one or two pounds of turnips just makes an amazing amount of extra feed," he said.

2025 projects explored alternative grazing sources for hot, dry conditions, apple guilds for increased biodiversity, late-summer hay seeding, overseeding turnip to extend grazing, pastured poultry systems, mulching practices around fruit trees, and more. You can read more about the 2025 projects in the annual program report.

“This is a really accessible program that can do good things for Grey County farms,” said Emily McKague, Project Coordinator for Grey Agricultural Services. “The application process is simple and the program applies to a wide variety of projects, so I hope to see lots of uptake again this year!”

The Experimental Acres pilot was developed as a part of Guelph-Wellington Our Food Future, a project funded by Infrastructure Canada. The County of Wellington facilitated the program in Wellington and Dufferin Counties in 2022, and Grey County joined in 2023. Grey projects are funded by Grey County as part of Going Green in Grey, the county climate action plan. The program supports Action 3 in the plan, “Capacity Building in Sustainable Agricultural Best Practices.”

For more information about the Experimental Acres program, contact Emily McKague, Grey Agricultural Services at info [at] greyagservices.ca (subject: Experimental%20Acres) (info[at]greyagservices[dot]ca) or Linda Scott Swanston, Grey County Climate Change Initiatives Manager at linda.scottswanston [at] grey.ca (linda[dot]scottswanston[at]grey[dot]ca) or 519-372_-1978.

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For media inquiries, contact Rob Hatten, Grey County Communications Manager, at rob.hatten [at] grey.ca (rob[dot]hatten[at]grey[dot]ca) or call 519-373-1592.