Introduction

This information provides an overview of some of the rules that controllers of greenhouse operations generating greenhouse nutrient feedwater (GNF) must follow. The controller is the owner and/or the manager of the greenhouse.

The following are overviews of the regulation as it applies to:

See O. Reg. 300/14: Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater for more information on the regulation and associated protocols.

Greenhouse operations that want to generate GNF may need to have a GNF strategy for their operation. Farmers that want to land apply GNF may need a GNF Plan and a Land Application Schedule. These documents need to be prepared by someone that meets the requirements set out in the regulation.

Before generating GNF

Here are the steps an operation must take before it can generate GNF:

Determine the farm unit

A farm unit is a geographical area where your agricultural operation is located. In this case, the farm unit needs to include the property where the GNF is stored (if not stored at another farm unit, which includes the greenhouse that generates the GNF). Your farm unit can never be less than a single deed, but the farm unit can be larger and can include multiple agricultural operations. Areas within a farm unit can be any distance apart.

For more information, see Part 7 GNF Plan of the 2015 Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater Management Protocol.

Estimate the nutrient units (NU)

Use the Greenhouse nutrient feedwater management table to estimate the number of NUs from all GNF generated from all greenhouses within the determined farm unit, and all the GNF brought to the farm unit from external greenhouse operations. AgriSuite can do this for you.

Register the greenhouse operation

You must register the greenhouse operation with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' (OMAFRA) Director, as specified in the regulation, before you can generate GNF for land application. The registration must include:

  • the location of the properties and greenhouses that make up the farm unit
  • the contact information of the controller(s) of the operation
  • the size of the greenhouse production area
  • confirmation that the operation has enough space to store the GNF generated and received
  • the estimated amount of GNF and NUs the operation is expected to generate and receive in a calendar year

Complete a GNF document or GNF strategy

The next step depends on the number of NUs generated and received on the farm unit in a calendar year.

If there are less than five NUs generated and received on the farm unit:

Complete a GNF document. It must outline the type(s) of crops grown in the greenhouse, how often GNF will be generated and received, and a sketch of the farm unit. The sketch must show:

  • the greenhouse properties
  • the locations of existing and proposed permanent GNF storages
  • any wells, tile inlets/outlets and surface waters that are within certain distances of the greenhouses or storages, as specified by the regulation

Include information on the storage(s) and receiver(s) if the GNF will be stored or moved off the farm unit.

If there are five or more NUs generated and received on the farm unit:

The operation must have a GNF strategy. The strategy can be prepared by a certified nutrient management planner who has taken a course on GNF on behalf of the operation, or it can be prepared by the controller or an employee of the operation who has taken the appropriate training. The strategy must be submitted to OMAFRA at the same time as the registration.

See the Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater Regulation for more information on GNF training.

The strategy must include all the information required for the GNF document as described above. In addition, the strategy needs to include details of the GNF transferred off the farm unit and the permanent GNF storages located on the farm unit. The strategy should indicate when engineering involvement is required for storage, transfer or pipeline systems.

A contingency plan also forms part of the strategy. It addresses potential GNF management issues, such as unanticipated releases of GNF (due to storage seepage, for example). Part 11 Contingency Planning of the Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater Management Protocol provides more information.

Plan, permit and install GNF transfer systems, permanent GNF storage facilities and pipelines

The operation's GNF transfer systems, storages and pipelines must satisfy the requirements in the regulation. Visit Transferring, storing and transporting greenhouse nutrient feedwater for more information on these requirements.

After generating GNF

Sample and analyze the GNF

Either the GNF or the test solution (as a proxy for GNF) must be sampled and analyzed by a laboratory after the operation is registered and before any GNF is transferred to a receiver or land applied within the farm unit. The GNF is tested for specific nutrient content, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, regulated metals, boron and sodium. Do not land apply GNF if the GNF has a high regulated metal content.

Give the receiver(s) a copy of the most recent GNF sampling and analysis results on or before the day you plan on transporting the GNF to the receiver.

The GNF Sampling and Analysis Protocol provides more information on sampling and analysis requirements under the regulation.

Update the registration

Complete an updated NU calculation for the greenhouse operation(s) based on the actual nitrogen and phosphorus content of the sampled GNF. AgriSuite can help with this calculation. Submit the updated registration form, along with the sample results, to the OMAFRA Director. Complete the update within 60 days of the first transfer or land application of GNF.

Applying GNF to the land of the greenhouse operation

If you are applying GNF to land that is part of the farm unit, follow the requirements outlined in Applying greenhouse nutrient feedwater on agricultural land.

Transporting GNF to another agricultural operation

You must use an independent carrier if the GNF is transported by vehicle and not transported by the controller or by an employee of the greenhouse or receiving operation. Independent carriers do not need to be certified by OMAFRA, but they do need to complete online training to be able to transport GNF.

Visit the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus nutrient management website for more information on Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater Regulation transport training and education requirements.

Prepare and keep all documentation for all GNF transported between operations. Visit Transferring, storing and transporting greenhouse nutrient feedwater for more information.

Record keeping

Your GNF registration must be renewed, signed and submitted to the OMAFRA director every five years or when the information becomes outdated.

If your operation does not require a GNF strategy, you must update your GNF document by February 15th each calendar year and complete a GNF record each year that documents the volume and month of each transfer of GNF off of the farm unit.

If your operation requires a GNF strategy, it must be reviewed and updated by February 15th of each calendar year. The update shows the volume of GNF the operation generated, received, land applied, stored and moved to another farm unit the previous year, and what is anticipated for the next year. In addition, the volume of GNF stored on December 31st must be recorded.

A nutrient management planner, or the controller or an employee of the operation who has the appropriate training must complete a new GNF strategy if certain operational changes occur at the operation. The new strategy must account for the operational changes and is submitted to the OMAFRA Director.

Keep all GNF registrations, documents, records, strategies, annual reviews and updates and sample results at the greenhouse operation. If it is not possible to keep the documents at the operation, keep them at a location the controller always has access to.

Keep the documents, including GNF strategies and plans, for five years after they are created. However, there are several exceptions to this general rule. Section 72 of the regulation provides more information on these exceptions.

AgriSuite

AgriSuite is a suite of free web-based decision support tools that can be accessed online from your computer, tablet or smartphone. AgriSuite assists you with key crop fertilization management decisions and how they relate to improving crop production and protecting the environment. It is designed to help farmers meet their obligations under the Nutrient Management Act, 2002 (NMA).

The Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater (GNF) worksheet in AgriSuite estimates GNF production, storage sizing and land application methods to help certified consultants and greenhouse operators prepare required legal documents for regulatory purposes under the NMA.

Resources

For questions on the regulation, protocols, GNF strategies and plans and AgriSuite, contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.

Visit the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus nutrient management website for a list of Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater Preparers and for nutrient management training opportunities.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for informational purposes only. This fact sheet provides a general and simplified description of some of the legal requirements of O. Reg. 300/14 (the "Regulation"), the Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater (GNF) Management Protocol and the GNF Sampling and Analysis Protocol. The protocols are adopted by the regulation and are legally enforceable. This information does not provide a comprehensive description of the rules that are mentioned and there are rules in the regulation and protocols that are not covered at all. To determine your legal obligations, consult the relevant law. If legal advice is required, consult a lawyer. In the event of a conflict between the information in this fact sheet and any applicable law, the law prevails.