Producers in more municipalities are eligible
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The federal government and provincial governments in Western Canada are providing more support for livestock producers affected by the drought in 2023.
In Saskatchewan, the Canada-Saskatchewan Feed Program’s application deadline has been extended to March 15, 2024.
And farmers in 10 more rural municipalities are eligible for support payments of up to $150 per head.
The new communities are the R.M.’s of:
- Britannia No. 502
- Rosthern No. 403
- Bayne No. 371
- Lumsden No. 189
- Sherwood No. 159
- Bratt’s Lake No. 129
- Lajord No. 128
- Edenwold No. 158
- North Qu’Appelle No. 187
- South Qu’Appelle No. 157
"We recognize the areas significantly impacted by drought this past fall and the importance in maximizing access to financial relief for livestock producers by expanding the area eligibility," Sask. Ag Minister David Marit said in a Jan. 30 statement.
In Alberta, the Canada-Alberta Livestock Assistance program, expanded to 23 additional regions as of Jan. 29.
Farmers have until Feb. 22 to apply and could receive payments of up to $150 per head.
The program is open to livestock producers “who altered their usual grazing practices due to drought conditions for more than 21 days,” Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation says.
A minimum of 15 animals per type of livestock, including cattle, bison, sheep and goats, is required to qualify for support.
“I’m pleased Alberta’s government was able to work with the federal government to expand this financial support to additional regions impacted by severe drought and extreme heat conditions,” Minister Sigurdson said in a Jan. 25 statement. “I will continue to look out for the interests of our hard-working livestock producers.”
In addition, the 2023 Livestock Tax Deferral has been updated to include more regions.