Plant Your Roots Program — Commercial Farm Purchases

• Signed loan agreement
• Program Funding Registration form, if required
• Business plan and income projections
• Proof of percentage ownership
• Completed application form

Who is eligible?

• Beginning farmers
• New farmers buying a first commercial farm
• New farmers buying at least 25% of a commercial farm
• Farm businesses in Nova Scotia

Who is not eligible

• Applicants seeking refinancing of existing loans
• Applicants using variable interest rate loans
• Applicants with operating lines of credit
• Applicants financing residential mortgages
• Farms that previously received benefits under FarmNEXT

Eligible expenses

• Projected interest on new commercial farm loans
• First-time commercial farm purchases
• Innovative farming technologies for labour efficiencies
• Technologies supporting local food production
• Investment in farm properties or viable farmland

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Refinancing of existing loans
• Variable interest rate loans
• Operating lines of credit
• Residential mortgages
• Secondary financing such as second mortgages

Eligible geographic areas

• Nova Scotia
• Mi'kmaw communities in Nova Scotia

There are evaluation and selection criteria for the Plant Your Roots Program. The criteria include:

• Proper registration under the Farm Registration Act
• Active farming in the program year
• Establishing a farm business with commercial scale goals within 5 years
• Purchasing at least 25% interest in a commercial farm in Nova Scotia for the first time

• Step 1: Complete the application form and, if required, the Program Funding Registration form.
• Step 2: Gather the signed loan agreement, proof of ownership, and business plan with income projections where required.
• Step 3: Submit the complete application within 6 months of the accepted loan offer and by the program deadline.
• Step 4: Wait for review by the Department of Agriculture.
• Step 5: Sign and return the Letter of Agreement if approved.

• Applications are reviewed by the Department of Agriculture as received.
• Approved applicants receive a Letter of Agreement.
• The applicant must review, sign, and return the Letter of Agreement within 30 days.
• Funding may be forfeited if the agreement is not returned on time.
• The Department may deny applications that do not meet program requirements or contain misrepresentation.

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

• The program welcomes individuals from diverse and inclusive sectors, particularly encouraging applicants from equity-deserving communities such as women, persons with disabilities, Black and African Nova Scotians, First Nations, Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQI+, and racialized individuals.
• The interest rebate is calculated based on a four-year projection of eligible loan interest, capped at $100,000.
• The approval process includes receiving a Letter of Agreement (LOA) and a Repayment Agreement which must be signed and returned within 30 days.
• If an applicant’s project does not meet the required income threshold by March 2028, they will be required to repay part of the funds.
• Funding is not available for variable interest rate loans, refinancing of existing loans, operating lines of credit, or residential mortgages.
• Applicants need to submit applications within 6 months of loan approval and provide specific documentation, including a copy of the loan agreement.
• The confidentiality of applicants’ data will be maintained, with specific information release as determined by program guidelines.
• The program requirements also include participation in evaluations or audits if selected by NSDA or the Government of Canada.