Central Alberta livestock producers hit hard by drought may find some financial relief through a new joint provincial and federal program.
The two governments have joined forces to provide $165 million through the Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance response. Funding for the joint Agri-Recovery initiative is cost-shared through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), with the federal government contributing $99 million and Alberta $66 million.
Livestock producers with grazing animals can apply for financial support to cover losses incurred managing and maintaining breeding herds. Eligible producers could get up to $150 per head for breeding animals. Other details are still to come.
Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson said many livestock producers have faced multiple challenges this year.
“This year’s drought and excessive heat has resulted in our ranchers facing extra costs due to lost grazing days. We recognize their stress as the winter-feeding months approach.
“This program will help alleviate some of the cost pressures and support producers in protecting their livelihoods while they continue to put food on tables around the world.”
Alberta Beef Producers general manager Brad Dubeau said the program has been designed to help farmers in the areas hardest hit by drought wherever that might be.
“It’s not just one area of the province,” he said, adding that a number of central Alberta producers will likely benefit from the program.
Much of central Alberta was extremely dry through the spring and most of the summer. While some got much-needed moisture later, in many cases the damage was done.
“The challenge with (late moisture) is you don’t get any sort of recovery. The grass is starting to slow in its regrowth and it’s not as productive. We need that moisture right off the bat in the spring to get everything rolling,” said Dubeau.
For some, the additional financial support will be especially helpful.
“There are some producers who are in multiple years of drought. There are some pretty significant challenges out there with producers having to make very difficult decisions on how to best manage their operations due to a severe drought and that it’s been going on for a long period of time.”
Dubeau said Alberta Beef Producers appreciates the additional support but has its eye on more sweeping changes to programs to better respond to the livestock industry’s challenges, which can be different than those of crop farmers.
“This program will help but it won’t make producers whole.”
Alberta Beef Producers has been focusing on getting support for improvements to business risk management tools, such as AgriStability, which was reopened in late September to allow farmers and ranchers more time to reassess their business risks and enroll to protect their operations.
A number of programs that have worked well for crop farmers could be adjusted to better meet the needs of the livestock sector and cow-calf operations, he said.
Developing or fine-tuning programs for which producers would pay premiums in return for protection against extreme weather challenges, market fluctuations or other variables would go a long way to help.
“We need tools that can work well that producers can embrace.”
With more flexible programs in place, the need for emergency AgriRecovery-type programs would be reduced.
Dubeau said his organization has been pleased with the response by the Alberta government and the Agricultural Financial Services Corporation to work towards creating programs better geared for livestock producers.