Alberta investing $10 million to help producers

Oct 25, 2016

Money will be used to help reduce carbon emissions

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Alberta’s provincial government is spending $10 million to encourage farmers to employ strategies that help to reduce carbon emissions.

“In my discussions with agricultural producers, I have heard the importance of supporting greenhouses, dairy and livestock sectors in the transition to a lower carbon future,” Alberta Minister of Agriculture Oneil Carlier said in a release. “That’s why, in addition to our farm fuel rebate, we are putting additional funding in programs that will help producers become more efficient and reduce consumption, emissions and costs.”

The funding will allow for the expansion of some current programs.

When it comes to the On-Farm Energy Management Program, farmers can increase the percentage of capital purchases covered to 70 per cent from 35 per cent.

Alberta Minister of Agriculture Oneil Carlier

The funding will also allow for the expansion of the Irrigation Efficiency Program. Farmers will be able to submit more than one project and the funding cap can also rise to $15,000 from $5,000 depending on the project.

Industry representatives say the funding expansion will allow farmers to comply with the changing climate landscape.

“By expanding the cap on the irrigation-efficiency programs we will be able to do more to make our operations more efficient, which will reduce our energy costs and make better use of our water resources,” Richard Stamp, president, business development and risk management, Stamp Seeds, said in a release.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.