Advance Payments Program
The APP is a federal loan guarantee program which provides agricultural producers with easy access to low-cost cash advances.
APP advances are available through participating producer organizations, that is, APP Administrators, across Canada.
Offered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
Amount
Up to $1,000,000
Up to $1,000,000 per program year, calculated on up to 50% of the anticipated market value of eligible agricultural products; the federal government pays the interest on the first $250,000 of your advance (the first $500,000 for canola advances) for the 2025 and 2026 program years, with preferential interest rates on the remainder
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.
- You’re either:
- a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- a corporation, cooperative or partnership of which the majority interest is held by Canadian citizens or permanent residents
- one or more of the stakeholders, members or partners must be the age of majority in the province of operation.
- You’re the age of majority in the province of operation.
- You have produced or will produce the agricultural product.
- You own the agricultural product.
- You’re responsible for marketing the agricultural product.
You need to meet all the eligibility criteria to qualify for the program.
If you meet all the eligibility criteria, you may qualify for the program.
Eligible agricultural products
The majority of agricultural products are eligible for an Advance Payments Program advance, including:
- grains, oilseeds, and pulses
- fruits and vegetables (including greenhouse products)
- nursery products and sod (flowers, plants, shrubs, trees)
- certain special crops (for example, sunflower oil, canary seed, peanuts, hazelnuts)
- livestock (cattle, hogs, sheep, bison, rabbits, boar, goats)
- certain breeding animals intended to be marketed during the production period (cattle, goats, sheep, hogs)
- honey and maple syrup
- bees intended to be marketed during the production period
- ranch raised fur and cervid antler velvet
If you don’t see your agricultural product listed above, you should contact an Advance Payments Program Administrator to discuss whether or not an advance could be issued on the product.
About the funding
The APP is a federal loan guarantee program which provides agricultural producers with easy access to low-cost cash advances.
Under the program, you can access up to $1,000,000 in total advances based on the value of the eligible agricultural products you will produce or that you have in storage.
Normally, the Government of Canada pays the interest on the first $100,000 of your advance.
- For the 2025 and 2026 program years, the first $250,000 is interest free
Show all funding details
- For canola advances specifically, the first $500,000 is interest free for the 2025 and 2026 program years
You repay your advance as you sell the agricultural products, with up to 18 months to fully repay the advance for most commodities (up to 24 months for cattle and bison).
How much you can receive
Under the APP, you may be eligible to receive up to $1,000,000 per program year, with:
- the federal government paying the interest on:
- the first $250,000 of your advance for the 2025 and 2026 program years
- the first $500,000, for canola advances, for the 2025 and 2026 program years
- preferential interest rates on the remainder
Your cash advance is calculated based on up to 50% of the anticipated market value of the eligible agricultural products that you will produce or that you have in storage.
While you can have more than one advance outstanding, including more than one interest-free advance, you cannot have more than $1,000,000 outstanding at any one time.
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