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Prairie Watersheds Climate Program (PWCP)
Souris River Watershed District
Photo: Souris River Watershed District
Program Summary
The Souris River Watershed District delivers the Prairie Watersheds Climate Program (PWCP) which provides cost-sharing and per-acre payments for the implementation of Beneficial Management Practices under three categories:
Cover Cropping, Rotational Grazing, and Nitrogen Management.
Program characteristics
Province
Manitoba
Natural Features
Riparian Areas, Wetlands, Wildlife Habitat
Agriculture Type
Cropland, Rangeland / Pasture
Program Scope
Regional/Local
Conservation Approach
Beneficial Practices, Restoration
Incentive Type
Cost-sharing / Discounts, Payment for Practices / Conservation / Credits, Technical Advice
Delivery Agent Type
NGO
Commitment Type
Infrastructure Installation, Management Agreement, Restoration / Re-seeding / Conversion
Commitment Term
Short Term (1 to 10 years)
Program web site
Conservation Goals
The PWCP program aims to accelerate the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMPs) that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing farm productivity, sustainability, and resilience.
Eligible Lands
Eligible landscapes include croplands, rangelands, or pasturelands in the Souris River Watershed.
Additional Details
Interested landowners can download applications from the Souris River Watershed District: https://www.srwd.ca/pwcp-application
More detail on what each program entails can be found on the application forms.
Producers are eligible for a maximum of $75,000 of OFCAF funding, though all available OFCAF programs including PWCP.
Any project funded through PWCP cannot be funded by another OFCAF program.
Commitment
To receive Prairie Watersheds Climate Program (PWCP) funding, landowners must commit to any of the following Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs):
Cover crops underseeded with the main crop (intercropping)
Full-season annual and/or perennial cover crops in rotation
Agronomic support for seeding cover crops
Fencing and watering systems to support rotational grazing
Improving pasture compositions by seeding legumes
Agronomic support for completion of a rotational grazing plan
Use of polymer coated urea fertilizer
Use of combined nitrification and urease inhibitors or use of dual inhibitors
Agronomic support for nitrogen management plans
Soil testing
Soil mapping
Adding legumes to crop rotation
Upgrading seeder equipment to allow for banding/side dressing/injection of fertilizer
Split application of fertilizer to improve nitrogen use
Upgrading manure injection and incorporation equipment
Offsetting higher cost of synthetic fertilizer substitutes (manure, compost, digestates)
Incentive
The Souris River Watershed District provides the following incentives for eligible BMPs. Each eligible practice has specific requirements and limitations, which can be found on the Souris River Watershed website.
Funding activities include:
Cover crops underseeded with the main crop (intercropping): $35/acre
Full-season annual and/or perennial cover crops in rotation: $35/acre
Agronomic support for seeding cover crops: up to 85% of total expenses
Fencing and watering systems to support rotational grazing: 85% of costs (up to $18,000/qtr)
Improving pasture compositions by seeding legumes: $35/acre
Agronomic support for comopletion of a rotational grazing plan: up to 50%
Use of polymer coated urea fertilizer: 85% of increased cost of PCU fertilizer compared to regular nitrogen
Use of combined nitrification and urease inhibitors or use of dual inhibitors: 85% of inhibitor cost
Agronomic support for nitrogen management plans: 50% of cost
Soil testing: 85% of cost (up to $2,500)
Soil mapping: 50% of costs (up to $10,000)
Adding legumes to crop rotation: $35/acre with 1 or 2 year contracts available
Upgrading seeder equipment to allow for banding/side dressing/injection of fertilizer: $200/ft (up to $30,000)
Split application of fertilizer to improven nitrogen use
Upgrading manure injection and incorporation equipment
Offsetting higher cost of synthetic fertilizer substitutes (manure, compost, digestates)
Contact Information
For more information on the Souris River Watershed District's Prairie Watersheds Climate Program (PWCP), contact 204-877-3020 (Reston office) or 204-747-2530 (Deloraine office) or email info@srwd.com. Application forms and further information can be found here: https://www.srwd.ca/pwcp-application
Important to Know
The Prairie Watershed Climate Program (PWCP) is funded through the Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. OFCAF is a $200 million, 3-year fund (from 2021 to 2024) which funds 12 programs (including PWCP).
The PWCP is led by the Manitoba Association of Watersheds (MAW) and delivered locally by Manitoba’s Watershed Districts and the Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds (SAW).
Information can change from year to year – check the web site for the most accurate information.