Dufferin County’s 2026 Experimental Acres
Experimental Acres provides Dufferin farmers with educational and financial support to de-risk new practices that improve yield, soil health, carbon sequestration and overall sustainability. The program is intended to champion farmer-led discovery, with small-scale experimentation that can link to larger funding opportunities. Farmer-created projects will be supported through three Experimental Acres funding streams:
- Living roots and green cover – Maintaining soil cover helps reduce soil erosion from wind and precipitation. Example practices include cover cropping, intercropping and introducing new crops into the rotation.
- Innovation – The innovation stream is for projects that can benefit soil health and do not fit into other categories. Example practices include tarping to reduce tillage intensity, winter crop rotation, and planting tall grass prairie.
- Integrating animals on the farm – Integrating animals on the farm can have many benefits to soil health and promote carbon storage in cropland soil. Example practices include rotational grazing, silvopasture and bale grazing.
Over the previous three growing seasons, Experimental Acres has supported diverse producer- led projects such as suppressing plant competition using ducks, implementing espalier methods, natural pesticide creation, companion planting, cover crops, and green manure. Project profiles are available to explore on the county’s Experimental Acres webpage.
Successful applicants can expect to receive prompt reimbursement of costs to de-risk their trial, and for soil testing and result analysis, research support from staff, and information about related events and programs.
Dufferin County invites farmers to apply to the 2025 Experimental Acres Program by March 27 at www.dufferincounty.ca/county-services/climate-and- energy/experimental-acres.
