Fleming College

Students taking Fleming College’s Sustainable Agriculture program at the Frost Campus are now eligible to apply for special funding through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and Agriculture Canada.

The program is delivered by Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) on behalf of OMAFRA. The funding helps new farmers offset training costs. Fleming’s Sustainable Agriculture program has been recognized as a training opportunity eligible for cost-share funding through the program.

New farmers can receive up to 75% of their tuition, textbook and travel expenses for the program, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Applicants must complete a Growing Your Farm Profits Workshop, have their action plan reviewed by their workshop leader, and have a Farm Business Registration Number or equivalent. The Growing Forward Business Development for Farm Businesses Program Guide is available at: www.ontariosoilcrop.org/docs/bdfbprogramguide-en.pdf

“New farmers face many obstacles when it comes to starting out. This program provides an excellent opportunity to invest in a foundation of core skills through Fleming’s Sustainable Agriculture certificate,” says Henry Bakker, Coordinator of the Sustainable Agriculture program at Fleming. “The weak link in any profit margin is management, and this training will pay dividends in avoiding the costly trial and error method of developing a new farm enterprise.”

While Sustainable Agriculture is a post-graduate program, if you have not completed a previous postsecondary program you may still be eligible for entry into the program if you have related experience. Please contact Program Coordinator Henry Bakker at 705-324-9144 x 3564 or hbakker@flemingc.on.ca for more information. You can also learn more about Sustainable Agriculture at Fleming College by visiting www.flemingcollege.ca.

Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 90 full-time programs in Business and Technology, Continuing Education and Skilled Trades, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Visual Arts, Education, Health and Wellness, and Law, Justice and Community Services. Fleming College has 6,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and more than 58,000 alumni.

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For more information:
Drew Van Parys, 705-749-5530 x 1696 or dvanpary@flemingc.on.ca