Many Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba producers have had a tough go this year after excessive moisture hampered production at many farms across the Prairies. The federal and provincial governments have pledged a combined $448 million through the AgriRecovery program to help recover costs.
The new program falls under the government’s current Business Risk Management component of Growing Forward. Sixty per cent of the funding is from the federal government and the remainder from provincial governments.
“We’ve been able to work successfully with all provincial governments,” said Wild Rose MP Blake Richards. “It’s always important to see all levels of government working together. Ag is certainly an area where there’s some overlap in jurisdiction.”
Farmers will receive $30 per eligible acre of crop land that couldn’t be seeded as of June 20 as well as crop land that was seeded and later flooded out on or before July 31. Richards said weather this year has wreaked havoc on some farmers.
“There’s been some pretty exceptional circumstances and this year’s flooding is certainly an example of that,” said Richards. “We’re vulnerable to the weather.”
Others in the agricultural business agree.
“When you’re in a seasonal business and you’re not seeing a crop — there’s lots of fixed costs,” said Humphrey Banack, Wildrose Agricultural Producers president. “Thirty dollars per acre is a small amount compared to what producers would be on the hook for.”
According to Banack, most producers incur costs of around $80 or $90 per acre in each spring when their operations are getting going.
Around 500,000 acres went unseeded in Alberta, three million in Manitoba and an eye-popping six million in Saskatchewan, according to Banack.
“Saskatchewan is going to get the brunt of the money,” he said.
The program extends beyond other government insurance for farmers, including AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriInsurance.
With AgriRecovery, renumeration is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Livestock producers also ran into higher costs this year due to the moisture and many have rented nearby pasture and transported livestock or feed.
They will be eligible for AgriRecovery dollars as a result.
From snow to golfball sized hail and tornadoes to repeated deluges of rain, Alberta has run the weather gamut in recent months.
“It’s been a brutal year weather-wise for producers in our province,” said Banack.
“The predominant theme has been too much moisture in every possible form.
For more information, visit www4.agr.gc.ca
