Future Farmer Program

The Future Farmer Program will support business sector capacity growth and competitiveness by supporting new farmers to improve the probability that they establish or continue profitable and sustainable commercial farm businesses. The program will help new entrants identify and prioritize their business goals and will help them identify planning, management and technical skills that are needed to reach their goals.

Am I eligible to apply for Future Farmer funding?

The following includes a summary of program and funding eligibility. Before completing the application form, please review program and funding criteria in the Future Farmer Program Guidelines .

Eligible Recipients

• Mi’kmaq First Nations and other Indigenous groups; and
• Agricultural Producers.

Eligible Recipients must:

• Be a new agricultural producer (Must not have reported farm income for more than 5 years);
• Have a business or succession plan;
• Indicate in their business or succession plan a projection of at least $20,000 in annual gross farm sales;
• Indicate in their succession plan that the recipient owns at least 15% of the common voting shares or must be the beneficial owner of a 15% interest in the partnership (for farms with gross sales of $1M or less) or owns at least 10% of the common voting shares or must be the beneficial owner of a 10% interest in the partnership (for farms with gross sales of more than $1M);
• Be a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident;
• Be a resident of Prince Edward Island; and

NOTE: Recipients who do not have a business or succession plan may be eligible for coaching support through the Future Farmer Program.

Eligible Activities/Expenses

• Facilitation and coaching assistance by a program advisor;
• Development and implementation of continuous improvement on-farm projects¹;
• Skills development and training assistance by a third-party²;
• Business or succession planning assistance;
• Analytical laboratory testing³; and
• Participation in the following Business Risk Management (BRM) Programs: AgriStability and AgriInsurance³;

NOTES:

• Note¹: Future Farmer Program recipients must demonstrate clear linkages to one of the Sustainable CAP Framework outcomes for all on-farm projects pursued under this eligible activity.
• Note²: Skill development and training must be pre-approved by the program advisor.
• Note³: Analytical laboratory testing and participation in AgriStability and AgriInsurance are funded provincially through the Future Farmer Program.

What do I need to complete the application form?

Information required for all programs:

• Applicant contact information;
•  Business or organization information, including CRA registration number;
  • If applicable, Partnership information
• Project start and end date; 
• Additional sources of project funding;
• Recipient type (i.e. primary producer, agricultural landowner, processor);
• Type of industry (i.e. Dairy, potato, beef, hog, grains and oilseeds);
• Signature for declaration and consent to personal information; and
• Demographic information (optional).

Future Farmer Project Details

•  Application information on:
  • Residency;
  • Citizenship;
  • Education;
  • Farm History and Experience; 
  • Farming Income; and
  • Environmental Farm Plans.
• Alongside the Future Farmer General Application Form, depending on which funding categories you are applying for, complete:
  • Appendix A: Analytical Laboratory Testing Reimbursement;
  • Appendix B: Business Risk Management Reimbursement;
  • Appendix C: On-Farm Project Application; and/or
  • Appendix D: Training Approval Request
• NOTE: Appendices are downloaded separately from the Future Farmer Program General Application Form

For more information contact:

PEI Department of Agriculture 
11 Kent Street
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown PE C1A 7N8
Telephone: (902) 368-4880
Email: futurefarmer@gov.pe.ca 

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a new $3.5-billion, 5-year agreement (April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2028), between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. The agreement includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities funded by federal, provincial and territorial governments..