APAS Pleased To See Agriculture Recognized In The Federal Budget

Apr 21, 2021

Monday's Federal Budget saw some money earmarked for rebates on farmer's use of natural gas and propane.

Ottawa suggesting farmers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario could see $100 million dollars in payments.

APAS (a-pass) President Todd Lewis says thats a rebate to those provinces that are under the Federal Carbon Plan right now.

"What the process will be, how that will come back to to producers, is still to be determined."

Lewis says we saw a real focus on climate change in this budget.

"You know, I think there will be opportunities there for agriculture. Especially things like biofuels. You know, recently we're hearing lots about new crush plants and canola processing or bio diesel within the province. Will there be some money available through some of these ones to help with those projects? So, it'll be interesting and hopefully we'll be able to lever some of this federal money and see Saskatchewan take advantage of some of it."

He was also pleased to see Agriculture recognized as one of the major economic drivers in Canada, being described as a pillar of the economy.

He notes the industry is well positioned to help lead the country's recovery from COVID.

Click here to see more...

Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.