Ag producers managing climate change effects may be eligible for assistance

Dec 26, 2023

A program initiated by the Government of Saskatchewan aims to help reduce the impact of climate change in the province. Titled the Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program (RALP), the program will provide funding to eligible producers who improve the environmental resiliency of agricultural land using a beneficial management practice (BMP).

A BMP is any agricultural management practice ensuring the long-term health and sustainably of agricultural land that positively impacts economic viability and minimizes environmental risks.

The short- and long-term consequences of climate change remain speculative, but effects are likely to include drought, soil erosion, water quality issues, and a decline in biodiversity.

To mitigate these risks, producers can take actions such as strategically planting trees in agricultural zones. To provide financial assistance, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) has launched RALP along with other programs as part of a five-year, $485 million investment launched April 1, 2023, by the provincial and federal government.

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Video: How American Farmers Harvest 1.15 Billion Pounds of Sunflowers

Across the open plains of North Dakota and South Dakota, sunflower fields turn the American landscape into a sea of gold. In this farming documentary, we go inside modern sunflower farming to see how farmers plant, grow, harvest, clean, dry, process, and transform sunflower seeds into valuable products used every day.

In 2024, American farmers harvested about 1.15 billion pounds of sunflowers. This video follows the full journey from warm spring planting to combine harvesting, seed cleaning, storage, oil extraction, refining, roasting, packaging, and animal feed production.

You will see how sunflower seeds are processed into cooking oil, roasted snacks, bakery ingredients, birdseed, livestock feed, and useful byproducts. From golden fields to modern processing plants, this is the story of how a beautiful flower becomes one of America’s important oilseed crops.

Watch until the end to discover how sunflower farming connects farmers, machines, factories, food production, and sustainable agriculture.