AFSC Streamlining Services

Mar 17, 2021

Alberta's Agriculture Financial Services Corporation announcing some key changes this week.

AFSC will amalgamate five branches with neighbouring offices in an effort to streamline services.

The five one-employee offices affected are in High River, High Prairie, Rimbey, Smoky Lake and Spirit River, all impacted clients will be notified of the changes immediately and connected to a branch in close proximity to serve their needs.

CEO Darryl Kay says these are very difficult decisions.

"AFSC has an ongoing responsibility to evaluate its operations and determine how we can improve to deliver more value to our clients and all Albertans. We are thankful for the relationships we’ve had in those communities. These decisions will not interrupt the relationship-based service clients expect from AFSC."

AFSC also announcing two program changes, which will help support long term program sustainability.

The Spring Price Endorsement will be discontinued effective immediately, and the 20 per cent top up payment for the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program, will be eliminated.

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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.