Farm program payments handled by Ontario’s farm support delivery agency, Agricorp, will soon be available through direct deposit.

Agricorp announced Tuesday that farmers can expect to see direct deposit enrolment information in their packages during the spring program renewal period, and can apply for direct deposit starting in March.

Customers who sign up for direct deposit by April 1 will see program payments deposited directly into bank accounts starting in May, Agricorp said.

The agency, in a statement, described the option as “an important step in Agricorp’s commitment to enhance service offerings to customers.”

Timely payment was one of the issues identified by farmers leading up to a 2008 review of Agricorp by the provincial auditor general’s office.

The audit, focused mainly on delivery of the pre-AgriStability CAIS program, found the agency had “difficulty adapting to rapid changes” due in part to the rising number of farm support programs.

The provincial ag ministry, in requesting the review, had noted “a number of concerns from the agriculture community over delays in processing applications and payments.” — AGCanada.com Network