Skip to content

Building A Unified Voice for Agriculture: Agriculture Updates, Supports, and News: June 2023

Back to Agriculture Updates

Building A Unified Voice for Agriculture: Agriculture Updates, Supports, and News: June 2023

Agriculture Updates since February, 2023

Headlines

New Minister and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Premier Danielle Smith named her new cabinet, including the new Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. Meet Minister RJ Sigurdson: Prior to his service as an elected official, Mr. Sigurdson worked with Avalanche Air Systems as a senior project/general manager and shareholder. He also has extensive experience as a red seal sheet metal worker. Mr. Sigurdson grew up working on 40-acre family farm north of Cochrane. He also found additional work in high school on the farms of nearby families. He has been an active volunteer with organizations in the community such as Shriners International. https://www.alberta.ca/agriculture-and-irrigation.aspx. Jason Hale was also re-appointed as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. Jason Hale has been a cattle rancher in southern Alberta for over 30 years, was a professional bull fighter, and was an elected Member for the Eastern Irrigation District and Alberta Beef Producers. As a former Member of Legislative Assembly (April 2012 – May 2015), Jason served on 3 legislative committees and was the opposition critic for Energy. He sat on multiple community boards such as the Advisory Committee for the Medicine Hat College and Crawling Valley Recreations Society. Jason has a Chemical Technology diploma from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

Agriculture Policies Approved at Alberta Chambers of Commerce 85th Policy Conference
Two representatives from the Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce attended the Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC) Annual General Meeting and Policy Conference in Fort McMurray May 25th-27th. There were 36 policies adopted including three specific to Agriculture, all of which were sponsored by the Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce. Read the Medicine Hat & District Chamber News Release here or take a look at our current agricultural policies here.

NEW Rural Development Network FarmEd Toolkit 
We were pleased to hear from Nichole Neubauer about this new Toolkit. The Agriculture Discovery Centre participated as a pilot school and Nichole was able to contribute to the creation of the Toolkit – well done Nichole! Check out the new Toolkit here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jarwol82149a17g/AAAleCZOYm1nnLHrxM6ECM1qa/FarmEd%20Toolkit%20-%20Online%20Version.pdf?dl=0 

A 10-Year Plan for Departmental Agri-Science
With the goal of building strong, resilient agriculture and agri-food systems, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has released a renewed strategy that will guide the department's science and research activities over the next decade. The Strategic Plan for Science is a response to pressing global challenges faced by the agricultural sector and better positions the department in contributing to a profitable, competitive, and innovative sector. AAFC will focus its research program to target increasingly complex hurdles, including the climate crisis, new threats to agriculture, and rapid advances in technology. Read the announcement or the Strategic Plan for Science.

Rangeland Grazing Framework Established
With more than eight million acres (3.3 million hectares) of grasslands, forests, riparian areas and wetlands on Crown land that can be used to graze livestock, the new framework provides clarity about how grazing fits into Crown Land and integrated land management practices. The framework supports the existing land use rights of leaseholders and recreationists and places greater emphasis on current legislation and policy. To reinforce the spirit of the framework and support the ongoing contributions and ranchers, the Rangeland Grazing Framework sets out a process for involving leaseholders when proposed land-use changes are being considered.

Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership 
The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments that will strengthen competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐ based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities by federal, provincial and territorial governments. View the new Sustainable CAP Website

Proposed amendments to livestock identification and traceability regulations
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is proposing changes to Part XV (Animal Identification) of the Health of Animals Regulations to improve the livestock identification and traceability system in Canada. If you own sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, bison or farmed cervids or are involved with livestock production or handling, the CFIA encourages you to share your feedback during the 90-day consultation period, which ends June 16, 2023.

AgriSystems Living Lab survey
Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab is focused on measuring the impacts of beneficial management practices in the following areas: cropping systems and rotations, land use changes, nutrient/fertilizer management, livestock and grazing management, and optimizing carbon storage in production systems. The results from this project will be used to help direct government policy makers and inform the public about industry efforts to care for the environment. Learn more and participate in the survey.

Marketing Alberta-made products
The province is supporting the local agriculture and food sector by helping producers and processors market their products. The Made in Alberta voluntary labeling program will help consumers easily identify Alberta-made products. Alberta producers and processors will be able to use the new label on their locally-made products. The label will help shoppers quickly identify food products made in our province when choosing an item at their local farmers’ market or grocery store. Read more

Canada Brand Refresh
Agriculture Canada unveiled a modern new refresh of the Canada Brand program, plus a digital toolkit to help Canadian agriculture and agri-food businesses showcase their products in global markets. More modern, flexible, easy-to-use and optimized for digital platforms, the updated Canada Brand program delivers on industry’s need to respond to new market realities in today’s digitally-driven marketplace. The strategy and tools are free to use, and were developed in collaboration with industry and provincial governments, through focus-testing, research and consultation meetings. 

Funding Updates 

1. Agriculture Labour Task Force Grant Program
Alberta, in partnership with the federal government, is providing $2.5 million to Agriculture for Life to help companies recruit, hire and retain workers in the agriculture and agri-food industry. The funding will provide eligible companies with grants to increase public awareness of agricultural career opportunities, as well as human resources training to support worker retention.

2. Canadian Beef Check-off Agency Scholarship
The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency has established a new scholarship to encourage and support students pursuing post-secondary studies in the field of agriculture, agricultural research, or with an agriculture background pursuing studies in marketing. The application deadline is June 30, 2023.

3. FarmCash advances
Since April 1, 2023, agricultural producers in the west can receive their spring FarmCash advance of up to $1 million with the first $250,000 interest-free and take advantage of opportunities to grow their farms. While spring applications opened in February, April 1, 2023, marked the official launch of the new federal Advance Payments Program year, allowing for the release of funds to producers who submitted their applications. Read more

4. RDAR- OFCAF to Pause New Application Filing Effective May 10, 2023
Due to the intense interest in the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) and receiving >1000 project proposals since opening the 2023 program on February 13, 2023, RDAR will pause accepting new applications to assess the remaining uncommitted funding and anticipate it will reopen sometime in August.

5. Canadian Ag HR Council Receives Funding to Support Agriculture Workforce
The Canadian Agricultural HR Council (CAHRC) shared that Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has funded Growing the Agriculture Workforce of the Future: Cultivating Canada’s Post-Pandemic Recovery. This funding is part of ESDC’s Sectoral Workplace Solutions Program (SWSP) that helps key sectors of the economy implement solutions to address their current and emerging workforce needs.

6. BCRC Announces $2 Million in Funding for 12 Beef Research Projects 
Twelve research projects have been awarded a total of $2 million in funding by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) through the 2022/2023 annual call. Through these projects, the $2 million of industry funding will be leveraged with over $4 million in matching funding through government and industry partners.

7. Bear damage to hives added to Wildlife Damage Compensation Program
Bears can do significant damage to beehives, tearing them apart in a search for bees and honey. As a result, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation is conducting a 3-year bear damage to hives pilot project as part of the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program. Eligible beekeepers can make claims for losses to honey, bee colonies and beehive equipment between May 1 and October 31. To be eligible for coverage, beekeepers must have an active beekeeper registration and a minimum of 100 hives.

8. Alberta Broadband Fund
As part of the Alberta Broadband Strategy, the Alberta Government has committed $36 million to the Alberta Broadband Fund (ABF) to help ensure every rural, remote, and Indigenous household in the province can access high-speed internet. The ABF is open to eligible applicants, including Canadian corporations, municipalities, Indigenous entities, and partnerships of those groups. It supports projects that extend or enhance household access to high-speed internet services in areas with speeds less than federal targets of 50 Mbps for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads. Funding for these projects is currently available until March 31, 2027.

9. Canadian Agricultural Loans Act Program
The Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program is a loan guarantee program designed to increase the availability of loans to farmers and agricultural co-operatives. Farmers can use these loans to establish, improve, and develop farms, while agricultural co-operatives may also access loans to process, distribute, or market the products of farming.

10. AFSC has lending options for cattle producers
AFSC made some interim changes to their loan processes to ensure Alberta’s cattle producers have access to the capital they need to maintain their herds and operations. These changes include quick processing of loans up to $200,000, interest-only payments for up to 24 months, up to 60 month loan amortization, and flexible collateral considerations.

11. Alberta Innovates Agri-Food and Bioindustrial Innovation Program
The Agri-Food and Bioindustrial Innovation Program (ABIF) supports projects that develop and advance technologies that increase productivity, enhance competitiveness, boost the value of agriculture and forestry commodities, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Strategic focus areas include: data and digital solutions; autonomous systems; agricultural biotechnology; food processing innovation; biofibre utilization; value-added biomass; and green construction. The program is open to small and medium-sized enterprises, industry organizations, research and development organizations, post-secondary institutions and government research laboratories. 

12. Agricultural Clean Technology Program
The Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program aims to create an enabling environment for the development and adoption of clean technology that will help drive the changes required to achieve a low-carbon economy and promote sustainable growth in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. The ACT Program offers support under 2 streams, a Research and Innovation Stream and an Adoption Stream.

13. Advance Payments Program: The Advance Payments Program is a federal loan guarantee program which provides agricultural producers with easy access to low-interest cash advances. On June 23, 2022, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced a temporary increase to the interest-free limit for advances under the Advance Payments Program (APP). The change will make the purchase of important inputs such as fuel, fertilizer and seed more affordable for producers.

14. THRIVE Academy: The THRIVE Academy is 12-week agri-food tech pre-accelerator program for idea stage entrepreneurs, early-stage startups and researchers looking to commercialize their innovations. The immersive program will help you de-risk and validate your idea while preparing you to raise capital alongside building your go to market strategy. Application deadline is July 28, 2023.

15. Rural Communities Foundation grant: For the fifth year, the UFA Rural Communities Foundation is offering up to $100,000 to ensure rural Alberta remains strong. In the first 4 years, the $400,000 has helped 16 communities complete projects. Groups who are eligible to apply include registered charities under the Canada Revenue Agency, registered non-profit organizations who are registered with either their provincial or municipal government and community service co-operatives. The application deadline is August 31, 2023.

16. Agri-processing Investment Tax Credit program
Alberta is now accepting applications for the new Agri-processing Investment Tax Credit program. The program offers a 12% non-refundable tax credit based on eligible capital expenditures to corporations investing $10 million or more to build or expand agri-processing facilities in the province.

17. Tax relief for Prairie livestock producers facing the impacts of extreme weather
The Livestock Tax Deferral provision allows livestock producers who are forced to sell a significant amount of their breeding herd due to drought or flooding to defer a portion of their income from sales until the following tax year. The income may be at least partially offset by the cost of reacquiring breeding animals, thereby reducing the potential tax burden associated with the original sale.

Labour Resources

  1. Agriculture Job Connector: https://www.alberta.ca/agriculture-job-connector.aspx 
  2. Chamber Agriculture Labour survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019AgribusinessLabour
  3. Riipen Rural Roots, a collaborative program in partnership with Alberta-based Rural Development Network, Portage College, Mount Royal University, Medicine Hat College, and MacEwan University. The focus of this new program is to connect rural businesses and non-profits across Canada with post-secondary learners to advance their labour market and workforce skills through short-term virtual WIL projects. Read more
  4.  Olds College is excited to announce the approval of a new Bachelor of Digital Agriculture Degree. Offered through the College’s Werklund School of Agriculture Technology, the first intake of students in the Digital Ag degree will be on campus for fall 2023. See the press release here.
  5.  Canada Alberta Jobs Grant The Canada-Alberta Job Grant is a training program where an employer applies on behalf of their present or future employees for eligible training costs. Employers decide who gets training and what type of training may be needed for their employees. Learn more

Additional Government & Industry News and Information 

  • Forage U-Pick: An Interactive Forage Species Selection Tool Now Available Canada-Wide: Forage U-Pick–a tool that helps farmers and ranchers from British Columbia to the Maritimes choose forages best suited to their fields, calculate seeding rates and manage forage weeds–is now available online at no cost. Read more

  • PMRA decision prompts firms to pull insecticide: As of mid-February, if western Canadian farmers want to control common crop insect pests such as grasshoppers and flea beetles in 2023, they should plan to do it without the use of popular lambda-cyhalothrin products such as Matador and Silencer. Those products and others based on the lambda-cy active ingredient aren’t banned, but Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has ruled as of April 29 this year, any crops treated with lambda-cy insecticides cannot be used for livestock feed. Read more

  • Trouble resolving farm debt? The Farm Debt Mediation Service offers financial counselling and mediation services to farmers. Find out if you are eligible for our free and confidential service and get the support you need to get your debt repayment back on track. Learn more about the program and apply here.

  • Own farmland? How to set the best rental price and agreement: It’s likely that most, if not all, farmers will rent some amount of land during their farming career. And while the road from A to Z with a farmland rental agreement is never the same, there are still some bedrock principles and considerations all farmers should understand, both when setting the rental price and with agreement details. Read more. You can also find an analysis of the rent-to-price ratio for cultivated farmland in Canada. This ratio is obtained by crossing cash rental rates and the Farmland Values Report data. A ratio trending lower suggests that cash rental rates are appreciating at a slower pace than land values. Conversely, an increase in the ratio indicates that rental rates are increasing faster than land values.
  • New lending feature added to AFSC Connect: Lending clients can now access their annual and year-to-date statements of loan at their convenience in AFSC Connect. With this new feature, clients will be able to instantly view their information, including when their next payment is due, as well as other important loan details. Read more here.

  • Midge Tolerant Wheat Grower Survey: The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition is inviting wheat producers to participate in the Midge Tolerant Wheat Survey. Data collected will be used to manage the Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Program.  Participate in the survey; Find out more about the Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Program

  • Open Farm Days 2023: Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2023 event on August 19-20, and they have training sessions for host farms. Training sessions are free and are open for anyone who is interested or any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event. Topics range from booking your farm event and site management to exploring emerging social media trends and navigating Open Farm Days resources. Training sessions run until July 2023. Learn more and register for any or all of the training

  • Agricultural moisture situation update: The Agricultural Moisture Situation Update is developed by the drought modelling team and published frequently as appropriate during the growing season and less frequently during winter months. See the report here.

  • Consumer attitudes towards innovative agricultural technologies: the Government of Canada has released their survey and focus group results related to attitudes and perceptions toward emerging agricultural technologies and their applications in the sector. See more information.

  • Celebrating 25 Years of Beef Industry Research: This year, the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) celebrates 25 years as Canada’s national industry-led funding agency for beef, cattle and forage research. A new video has been released to acknowledge the milestone achievement and features some of the key individuals of the BCRC’s past to present. Read the full post 
  • Stay up to date on fire bans and advisories. Alberta Wildfire’s online dashboard is the trusted source for real-time wildfire information, including the latest on fire bans and advisories across the province.

  • The Landowner Guide to the Alberta Wetland Policy is now available. This guide helps landowners understand their rights and responsibilities when working in and around wetlands on their farm or ranch under Alberta's Wetland Policy. If you have wetlands on your property, or if you work with people who do, this guide will help you identify the resources and programs that can be beneficial to your work.

Other Events

AgEx 2022: All the sessions and panel recordings from AgEx 2022 are now on the Farm Management Canada YouTube page to explore and watch. Watch recordings from Day 1 | Watch recordings from Day 2

On-Farm Climate Action Fund microcredential courses at Olds College and Lakeland College - New course enrolment begins the second Wednesday of every month.

Growing Farm Safety Webinar Series

August 14-17, 2023 Canadian Beef Industry Conference

November 22-23, 2023: Save the Date and Sponsor - Cypress County Ag Connections Conference 

November 28-30: Agri-Food Innovation Expo

Other Resources

As always, you can always find more agribusiness resources on our website: https://www.medicinehatchamber.com/agribusiness-resources/   

If you know of someone who may be interested in the work we are doing and might be interested in investing in this work through membership, please feel free to refer them to us. You can also encourage others to subscribe to our agriculture updates through this page. We look forward to continuing our work with you and pushing for our collective priorities on your behalf. 

Powered By GrowthZone
Scroll To Top