The Irrigation Environmental Efficiency Program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership has closed and is no longer accepting new applications. If you have an approved project underway and require the corresponding claim forms, please call the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 or email agprograms@gov.sk.ca for assistance.
The Irrigation Environmental Efficiency Program supports improved energy and water efficiencies in irrigation systems. The program supports producers converting low efficiency or high pressure irrigation systems to high efficiency, low pressure irrigation systems.
Funding
Each eligible applicant can receive up to 30 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum program payment of $50,000.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for pre-approval if you are a:
- Saskatchewan agricultural producer (individual, partnership or corporation) and can demonstrate a minimum $50,000 of gross farm income in Saskatchewan in the year preceding or in the year of the application.
- Individual applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
- First Nation in the Province of Saskatchewan.
Producers who own, lease or rent property where livestock and poultry are grown, bred, kept, raised, displayed, assembled or disposed require a Saskatchewan Premises Identification (PID) number.
Persons related to an eligible applicant will be subject to the program's maximum funding cap. Related applicants include spouses, partners, relatives in the same residence or individuals/entities which have controlling interests in more than one operation.
Before You Apply
By participating in this program, applicants understand that they must meet all eligibility requirements which includes compliance with The Irrigation Act, 2019.
- Irrigation districts, must be in good standing as a district and have met the criteria as laid out in Part 2 of the Act.
- All Irrigators are required to pay a refundable acre levy fee to the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation (ICDC) to support irrigation research and development in the province as per Part 5 of The Irrigation Act, 2019.
Projects must meet the following requirements and applicants must obtain the following applicable pre-approval inspections and/or documents:
- Irrigate a minimum of 10 acres;
- Have a valid Water Rights Licence issued by the Water Security Agency or a Water Service Agreement with a recognized Irrigation District;
- Modifications to pump sites may require approvals from the Federal Government (e.g. Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and/or the Ministry of Environment and/or the Water Security Agency. All required approvals must be issued prior to submitting a program application; and
- Vegetable, greenhouse and fruit operation applications may be considered on a case-by-case basis exempting the requirement for minimum acreage.
Eligible Expenses
- Purchase and installation of a new low pressure centre pivot or low-pressure linear system for existing licensed irrigated acres when converting from gravity, or side-wheel irrigation systems.
- Materials and installation for low pressure, high efficiency sprinklers, including:
- Low pressure sprinkler nozzles;
- Pressure regulators;
- Pipe/hose extension/carts to provide low clearance;
- Booms for low pressure application;
- Delivery hose/pipe; and
- Filters and emitters for trickle or drip systems.
- Conversion from combustion engine to electric powered pumps (including installation of power).
- Conversion from electric or combustion engine to wind or solar powered pumps.
- End gun booster pumps and low pressure main pump replacement (when it has been demonstrated to the ministry's satisfaction that existing high pressure pumps cannot be converted to low pressure).
- Purchase, modification and installation of fertigation equipment such as:
- Injector pumps;
- Associated installation materials; and
- Liquid fertilizer storage tanks dedicated to the fertigation system.
- Improving irrigation pump intake systems with new screens or shoreline modifications to protect the water source, including backflow prevention/check valves, repair of existing pump intake system and erosion control measures including the cost of earthwork for shoreline modification.
- Purchase and installation of new Variable Rate irrigation equipment on new or existing irrigation systems.
- Conversion of single speed electric irrigation pump motors to variable frequency drive motors, including related control systems.
- Sprinkler control valves, complete with electrical and related components to control the individual sprinklers or groups of sprinklers.
- Speed control system to vary the speed of the lateral allowing different water depths to be applied.
- Electronic control panel including wiring and equipment to signal the control valves along the lateral length to apply the desired amount of water.
- Lateral positioning system to locate the exact position of the lateral in the field so that the water can be applied in the appropriate places.
- Soil and plant moisture monitoring equipment (e.g. soil and leaf moisture sensors) in conjunction with variable rate irrigation.
- Flow monitors.
- Remote communications technologies such as telemetry that communicates with the centre pivot panel.
Ineligible Expenses
Ineligible expenses and activities include:
- Projects commencing prior to October 1, 2017.
- Invoices not issued in the applicant's name.
- Purchase and installation of irrigation systems for new irrigation development.
- Drip irrigation systems for orchards and u-pick operations, unless converting from a sprinkler or flood system.
- Costs associated with new irrigation development, including but not limited to:
- Pumps;
- Pipe infrastructure (e.g. center pivot, wheel move structures, traveling reels, mainline pipe); and
- Water-source expansion costs.
- Electric motors to replace existing electric motors to drive pumps.
- Combustion engines to replace existing combustion engines to drive pumps.
- Items considered regular repair or maintenance.
- Modification of irrigation works not owned by the applicant (e.g. irrigation district works, city effluent works).
- Taxes, financing fees, interest or legal fees.
- Applicant/employee labour and administration costs.
- Used, leased or fabricated materials and infrastructure - to be eligible, new items and infrastructure must be purchased from a recognized dealer. For the purposes of the program, a recognized dealer is typically defined as a business where manufacturing is a key service or the business is an authorized dealer for a certain item(s).
- In‐kind freight/mileage.
- In-kind equipment use.
- In‐kind materials such as rocks, sand, gravel or clay.
- In-kind payment (e.g. trading) for third party services/supplies.
- Materials from inventory.
- Any submissions for rebate utilizing a third-party contractor must be from a contractor who is third-party arm's length, or the submission will be considered utilizing in kind labour and original invoices for all materials will be required.
- Costs claimed for expenses/activities which may receive funding under other Canadian Agricultural Partnership programs, or any other government grant, rebate or assistance program.
Apply
Completed application packages can be submitted by email or mail to:
agprograms@gov.sk.ca
or
Ministry of Agriculture, Programs Branch
329 – 3085 Albert Street
Regina Sask. S4S 0B1