FaRM Field Trials Program

The FaRM Program's Field Trials fund efforts to increase regional support and knowledge transfer in low emissions, high resilience Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) by engaging agricultural professionals, in partnership with farmers and ranchers, to run field trials. 

BMPs Supported

The goal of the FaRM Field Trials Program is to grow high resilience, low emissions BMP Extension capacity across Canada. We want to provide agricultural professionals (e.g. agronomists, agrologists, Certified Crop Advisers), farmers, and ranchers the opportunity to build on-farm resilience, improve soil health, and enhance on-farm profitability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative seeks to specifically support:

• Overcoming regional barriers to BMP implementation, and 

• Troubleshooting BMP adoption through practical, hands-on experience.

Projects should focus on identifying and overcoming regional barriers to BMP adoption that have been identified by farmers and ranchers in the region. Field trials will also encourage knowledge transfer of these practices through field days that demonstrate the results of the field trials and the practical methods needed for successful adoption. 

The timeline for the project is dependent on each project type. For example, an Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer (EEF) trial on a spring planted crop, will be completed in December of that crop year. A cover crop trial planted in fall (e.g. September 2026) should be followed through to at least subsequent cash crop establishment (e.g. June 2027) and preferably to subsequent cash crop harvest in late 2027. 

FaRM Field Trial objectives

• To troubleshoot and overcome regional barriers to the adoption of BMPs (cover cropping, nitrogen management, rotational grazing) that result in improved on-farm resilience, improved soil health, and enhanced on-farm profitability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• To build familiarity and comfort in these BMPs with farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals.

• To generate regionally relevant on-farm agronomic and economic data.

• To develop on-farm economic analyses on these three BMPs to assist producers and agricultural professionals in decision-making.

• To build stronger regional and cross-country networks among agricultural professionals and between professionals and producers.

Eligibility requirements

• This program is primarily intended for Canadian agricultural professionals, such as Professional Agrologist (P.Ag), Agronomes (QC), or Certified Crop Advisers (CCA), however other professionals with relevant experience are welcome to apply. 

• You must apply in partnership with at least one participating farmer and/or rancher. The project should be producer-led, meaning the barrier to BMP adoption was identified in collaboration with the producer and will promote the agronomist and producer working together to implement and report on the trial. 

• You must be a Canadian organization, a Canadian citizen, or permanent resident currently operating and residing in Canada and able to enter into a legally binding agreement.

Funding amount

• Up to $20,000 per project, with any applicable taxes included.

• As a key project objective is to grow Extension capacity across Canada, projects that propose the inclusion to hire and mentor a junior agronomist (graduated in the last five years) or an agronomist from an underrepresented group in Canadian agriculture are eligible for an additional $10,000 to cover training, mentoring, and junior agronomist wages (for a total project cost of $30,000, with any applicable taxes included).

• Junior agronomist must be a new hire as of March 6, 2026 and cannot be an existing employee of your organization.

• The term underrepresented is understood by FCS as: Young agronomists (<35), women agronomists, agronomists with disabilities, Black agronomists, Indigenous agronomists and food providers, agronomists of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ agronomists, and new Canadian agronomists.

Key deliverables summary

• Design and execute a scientifically robust field trial(s) incorporating one or more of the BMPs listed.

• Write a Field Trial Report for widespread publication through FaRM channels. Field Trial Report must include a Producer’s Perspective section and a partial budget analysis. (Templates will be provided.)

• Host an on-farm trial demonstration event at the host farm or ranch. This field day should feature producer story-telling, include demonstration of the trial, and feature opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. 

• Collect event participants’ emails for an FCS administered annual survey of FaRM participants. 

• Conduct a four-question hand-raising survey at the event.

• Participate in FCS evaluation activities that may include a group reflection with other Field Trial participants and/or a brief survey.

Key deliverables details

1. Run field trial 

• Design and execute a scientifically robust field trial(s) that addresses overcoming a regional barrier to BMP implementation. Greater weight will be given to field trials demonstrating scientific rigour (e.g. a trial that has four replicates will be weighted more favourably than a split-field trial design). 

• OSCIA has put together a fantastic resource for their ONFARM program called “How to Conduct On-Farm Research Guidebook”, which has great tips that can be useful across multiple regions and production types.

• Applicants that submit a successful Letter of Intent must meet with FaRM Team agronomists to discuss experimental design and research methodology to ensure scientific robustness and that the project is aligned with FaRM goals.

• Field trials are to be implemented on-farm in partnership between agricultural professionals and farmers/ranchers. 

• Our intention is to support trials using field-sized equipment. (Note: plot-sized projects are not eligible.)

• Collect economic data pertinent to the trialed practices in order to develop a partial budget analysis.

• “New practice" should be compared to a control or business- as-usual.

• Collect and record data on BMPs (e.g. yield, stand counts, ground cover, etc.).

• Sufficient data must be collected to elaborate on successes and challenges.

•  Some examples of potential field trials:

  • Fall cover crop seeding dates, evaluating “how late is too late.” 

  • Evaluating nutrient use efficiency and profitability of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (EEFs included are urease inhibitors, nitrification inhibitors, or poly-coated urea) using 4R practices. (NB: EEF treatment must also include a decreased rate to account for the increased efficiency as a check).

  • Evaluating different cover crop termination methods to manage residue.

  • Grazing cover crop blends for season extension.

2. Field trial report and extension materials 

• At the end of the trial, submit a completed Field Trial Report (template provided by FCS), highlighting the successes and challenges of BMP implementation (e.g. what worked, what didn’t work, what applicants might change in the future, etc.).

• You are encouraged to think about potential risks that may affect your trial and to develop risk management strategies to try to minimize that risk. 

• We also want to acknowledge that, often, as much learning happens from things that go wrong, as from things that go well—we encourage you to be willing to share your mistakes and failures and what was learned from them. 

• The report will be used to publicly share project objectives, data, and outcomes in formats such as the FaRM Learning Hub or FaRM’s forthcoming online extension journal.

• The report must include the following 4 elements:

1. Completed report narrative (template provided by FCS). 

2. As peer-to-peer learning is a cornerstone of the FaRM Program, the report must feature a Producer’s Perspective section. This first-person storytelling can be submitted as an article, video, or audio file. If your trial involves multiple sites with different producers, please provide a Producer’s Perspective from a producer at each trial site.

3. Partial budget analysis (template provided by FCS). Partial budgets focus on the differences in benefits and costs between the new practice (e.g. cover cropping) and the baseline practice (e.g. not cover cropping). The partial budget analysis allows you to consider the net return of adoption, or net change in farm income, so: 

   Net Return = Change in Benefits - Change in Costs

   • Some sample partial budget analyses for cover crops are available on the FaRM Learning Hub under the mini-course “Economics of Cover Cropping.”

4. Photos are required to be included in the final report, videos are also welcome. 

• Additional forms of extension materials are welcomed and encouraged (e.g. podcast, instructional YouTube video, factsheet, infographic, conference presentations, webinars, etc.). Proposals with additional materials will be weighted more favorably.

3. Organize on-farm event

• An on-farm event (i.e. field day, workshop, etc.) featuring the field trial is expected as part of this funding where neighbouring farmers and ranchers are encouraged to come and see the trial and share their experiences. Suggested topics include: what is the barrier to BMP implementation that the field trial is targeting, why is it a barrier, what worked, what didn’t work, what would you do differently next time, what would you do the same. The target audience is farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals in the region. Peer-to-peer learning should be emphasized at this event.

• Include FCS Terms of Use and Privacy Statement in the event registration process and at events. (Event registration support is available through FaRM upon request.)

• Acknowledge and promote the FaRM Program and Learning Hub at events and in all communications related to this project.

• Applicants must share event details six weeks in advance of the event date so that we can help publicize your on-farm event. The FaRM Program has a regional newsletter that can help promote the event. FaRM will also happily connect applicants to our existing regional partners to help promote the event within their networks. 

4. Collect on-farm field day event data

• Track the number of participants at your event with this Events sign-in form provided by FCS. 

• Data to collect includes date, event description, and number and type of participants (e.g. producers, agronomists, etc.) in attendance.

• The Events sign-in form will also be used to collect email addresses (voluntarily) from participants who attend your field days. 

• Emails will be used by FCS to administer the voluntary annual FaRM Impact Survey and to subscribe them to the regional FaRM email newsletter.. 

• This survey measures the “impact”of the FaRM program as a whole. Such as, whether the knowledge/experience gained from FaRM events actually resulted in changes in practice. It also collects information on barriers to adoption and identifies other needed supports that, in turn, informs our policy work and provides data on the types of farms we’re reaching to ensure we are engaging our target audience. 

• Conduct an on-site hand-raising survey of event participants using the questions provided on the back of the Events sign-in form.

• Email event data/survey to brenda@farmersforclimatesolutions.ca after the event.

5. Participate in evaluation

• FCS values feedback on our programming and, as such, we ask that you and the field trial producer participate in a group reflection hosted by the FaRM team and/or complete a brief survey at the end of the contract.

Expenses

Eligible expenses 

• Salaries and wages.

• Stipend to cover producer time (suggested $50/hr) or to cover possible crop loss (e.g. in a 0 lbs N/acre control); highly recommended.

• Field trial costs (e.g. seed, fertilizer, flags, specialized equipment rental, etc.). 

• Some equipment >$500 is eligible with pre-approval by FaRM staff.

• Knowledge transfer costs (including venue, audio-visual rentals, supplies, and materials, etc.).

• Third-party expenses (soil and tissue testing, feed analysis, custom operator, etc.).

• Travel related to Field Trial (mileage, accommodation).

Ineligible expenses

• Capital costs (building improvements, office furniture/equipment, field trial/farm equipment over $500 unless prior approval from FaRM staff, computers, projectors, etc.).

• Alcohol.

• Finance charges, loan interest payments, bank fees and charges.

Expected timeline for submission

• The deadline for Letters of Intent (LOI) submissions is midnight on November 23, 2025. 

• Successful stage one LOI applicants must attend a one-on-one 15-minute meeting with a FaRM team agronomist to discuss your project proposal, ensure proper programmatic alignment, and to support applicants in a successful Full Proposal submission.

• Meetings will take place between November 26 and December 5.

• Successful applicants will be invited to submit a Full Proposal through the online portal by midnight on January 18, 2026.

• Our goal is to notify successful applicants by March 6, 2026.

Contact

Should you have any questions about the Field Trials, including eligibility and project design and execution, please reach out to Taryn Dickson at taryn@farmersforclimatesolutions.ca with subject line “Field Trials application inquiry”.

Application form

Please complete the following form by November 23, 2025.

A document version of the form is available here for download. This is provided as your working copy. All final applications need to be submitted via the online form.

Criteria to advance from Letter of Intent to Full Proposal

The FaRM team’s agronomists and scientific advisors will review the Letters of Intent and will compare them to the following criteria when deciding which projects to invite to the Full Proposal stage:

• It is a producer inspired and co-led project

• Clearly defines a producer-focused barrier to the adoption of cover crops, nitrogen management, or rotational grazing

• The project will likely result in improved adoption of BMPs and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Clearly details experimental design showing scientific rigour and clearly defines treatments with a control. 

• E.g. Replicated trials will be weighted more favourably than split-field trial design.

• E.g. A trial measuring multiple key response variables (e.g. yield, percent cover, feed quality, etc.) will be weighted more favourably than a trial that only measures one response variable.

Please complete the following form by November 23, 2025.