Grain Farmers of Ontario - Letters of Intent 2025
Sponsor
Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO)
Program
Barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat research [1]
Description
Investment in research is a long-term strategic initiative of GFO for the benefit of all barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers. Ontario’s grain farmers have sponsored and participated in decades of practical research that has resulted in economic gains and improved agricultural sustainability for Ontario farmers and the Ontario environment.
GFO aims to address the research needs through four overall priority areas:
- Agronomy and Production
- Weed, Disease and Insect Pests
- Crop Quality and Utilization
- Breeding and Genetics.
Within each priority area, GFO invests funds in projects of high priority to Ontario farmers, strives to maximize public sector research investment and encourages private sector research investment.
This year, GFO is placing a particular emphasis on research proposals targeting the following research priorities:
- Integrate 4R nutrient stewardship practices for commercial fertilizer with other nutrient sources (e.g., cover crops, manure application, biosolids) and validate 4R practices to improve farm profitability and reduce N losses and GHG emissions per unit of crop production.
- Develop integrated weed, disease, and insect pest management strategies that consider multiple management options, biology and epidemiology of the pest, and prevention of pest resistance to trait and pesticide control measures. Of particular interest are projects addressing white mould in soybeans.
- Develop effective crop residue management practices to minimize residue challenges, and maximize crop production, profitability and environmental sustainability under minimal tillage/no-till.
- Explore revolutionary grain drying technologies to substantially improve grain drying efficiency and explore agronomic solutions for drydown to improve profitability of grain production and reduce GHG emissions.
Funding Availability
Budget requests to GFO typically range between $10,000 to $90,000 per year with a median budget of around $30,000
Indirect Costs
Maximum 25%. No overhead is eligible on equipment over $10,000
Project Duration
Maximum project length is 5 years (projects cannot start before April 1, 2025).
Special Notes
Indication and pursuit of matching funding sources is strongly encouraged. Please indicate the name of the funding source(s).
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
External Deadline | LOI to be submitted to GFO by applicant. NEW this year, applicants are no longer required to submit LOI with OR-5 to the Research Services Office. | |
Internal Deadline | Applicants will be notified of LOI outcome in late August. Those invited to submit a full proposal to GFO are required to submit a copy along with an OR-5 Form to the Research Services Office one week before the full proposal is due to GFO. Please submit your full proposal to research.services@uoguelph.ca [2]. | |
External Deadline | Full proposal is submitted to GFO by applicant. |
How to Apply
See GFO site for LOI Form & Instructions [1].