A new 5th edition Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) will be available to Ontario farmers starting July 14, 2025. The updated edition reflects current regulatory requirements and latest science on best management practices, includes links to new tools and new areas of focus such as biodiversity and farming in a changing climate.

The EFP is a confidential and voluntary environmental risk assessment tool that helps the owners of all types of farms—large or small—take a whole-farm view and identify incremental improvements that support long-term sustainability, profitability and productivity. There is no cost to farmers to participate. Since its first edition was published in 1993, the EFP program has helped farmers develop comprehensive plans for their lands to help them achieve their goals as good stewards of the land.

Development of the 5th edition relied on technical expertise from staff at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) and other provincial ministries and federal departments and has been supported by the farm organizations that originally launched EFP as co-chairs of the former Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition (OFEC). These founding leaders — Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Farm & Food Care Ontario, and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association — remain committed to the EFP’s fundamental principle of helping farmers adopt innovative and sustainable best management practices.

“We encourage all farmers to complete the updated edition. An EFP provides farmers with the opportunity to assess their farm’s environmental impact using new tools that ultimately improve long-term productivity, profitability and sustainability,” says Melanie Hunter, field services manager, OSCIA. “Even if a farmer has completed an EFP before, updating it ensures decisions are based on current operations and environmental conditions.”

The EFP consists of two parts: a confidential self-assessment of the farm operation and a farm-specific action plan. Through this process, farmers highlight their farm’s environmental strengths, identify areas of concern, and develop realistic action plans with timelines to improve environmental conditions. Funding programs may be available to assist farmers in implementing improvements identified in their EFP action plan.

Farmers can complete an EFP, using the new 5th edition workbook, in one of three ways:

• -  In-person: Attend a two-day workshop led by knowledgeable OSCIA staff, with opportunities to network with fellow farmers.
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• -  Virtual sessions: Participate in two, two-hour online interactive webinars delivered by OSCIA staff.
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• -  Electronic EFP (eEFP): Renew a previously-verified 4th edition EFP independently online.

For more information on the 5th edition of the EFP, or to find available workshops and webinars, visit the EFP webpage. A frequently-asked-questions resource is also available outlining the key updates, cost-share eligibility and more.

Source: Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association July 2, 2025 news release