Saskatchewan has become the fourth province to sign on for its share of funding in the Growing Forward 2 (GF2) ag policy funding framework, with $388 million to put toward programs other than business risk management (BRM) over the next five years.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart and his federal counterpart Gerry Ritz announced the framework’s launch Thursday, noting Saskatchewan’s combined federal/provincial budget for non-BRM programs will be up $25 million from the original GF framework five years previous.
The $388 million is Saskatchewan’s share of the total pot of $2 billion pledged for non-BRM programs between now and March 2018 by Ottawa and all participating provinces and territories.
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The province on Thursday announced it would split the funding over eight “key programming areas that promote growth and benefit the long-term productivity, profitability and competitiveness of Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers.” They include:
$170 million toward agriculture innovation, research and technology transfer including Agri-ARM, a service connecting eight regional applied research and demonstration sites in a provincewide network; the Agriculture Demonstration of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) program, to help producer groups “evaluate and demonstrate new agricultural practices and technologies at the local level;” the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), backing research projects that “result in new knowledge, information and choices of technologies for producers and food processors;” infrastructure support for research and development institutions; and support for 15 strategic research chairs examining “ideas and new knowledge and technologies” to benefit farmers.
$65 million for rural water infrastructure, mainly through the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program (FRWIP).
$60 million divided between environment programs (Environmental Farm Plans, the Farm Stewardship Program and Agri-Environmental Group Plans) and food safety, plant and animal health programs, which will include rebates for livestock traceability equipment, the On-Farm Food Safety Implementation Program and a new program supporting control measures against “persistent, costly and invasive agricultural pests” such as problem rodents and invasive plant species. Details and application forms for the latter program are “coming soon,” the province said.
$32 million divided between trade and market development programs (mainly the Market Development Program, which the province said will build on the previous International Marketing Development Program) and “value-added business development” programs, such as the Saskatchewan Agri-Value Initiative (SAVI) for value-added product development, Saskatchewan Lean Improvements in Manufacturing (SLIM) for processors, and a new food safety systems program to be launched soon for meat slaughter and processing plants.
$25 million for farm business management programs, including the Farm Business Development and Training Initiative (FBDI), the Canada Community Pasture Transition Program to help pasture patron groups wishing to take over the former federally-operated community pastures, and new programs including Professional Agriculture Operators Training and Youth Leadership and Mentorship.
$4 million for agriculture awareness initiatives, such as the Agriculture Awareness Initiative to help producer groups promote the benefits of agriculture, and a new Industry Organization Development Fund to help producer associations and commissions develop “organizational and communications tools.”
Program changes
Among changes in GF2-backed programs carried over from the previous Growing Forward framework, the list of practices eligible for support under the Farm Stewardship Program has been revised, to remove “what would now be considered standard practice on farms,” the province said.
Also, under FRWIP, eligible applicants will now include agribusinesses and non-district irrigators as well as district irrigators — and the list of eligible projects has also been expanded to include well decommissioning, well head protection and relocation of livestock watering facilities for “environmental purposes.”
Agri-environmental Group Plans (AEGP) have also been expanded, the governments said, to cover more of the agricultural area of the province. As well, a “new, more equitable funding arrangement” will be used to provide delivery money to AEGP-eligible groups, the governments said, to provide “education and awareness to deal with environmental issues where action by all producers in an area can have a measurable impact.”
Also, the Saskatchewan Agri-Value Initiative’s (SAVI) application categories have been adjusted to include “labour training enhancement,” the province said.
“We consulted extensively with producers and industry on the development of these programs, which will help ensure our products continue to feed a growing world population and contribute to a better quality of life for all Saskatchewan citizens,” Stewart said in the province’s release.
