Barlow Says Farmers Will See Relief Through Government COVID-19 Benefit Plan

Mar 26, 2020

Farmers won't be left behind when it comes to government money being handed to workers and businesses losing out during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Foothills MP, John Barlow, says the Feds say they're going to lift the cap on loans from Farm Credit Canada as well as opening loan applications sooner.

Barlow says a lot of these issues came up when he spoke to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau this past week.

"Those are some things I did bring to the Minister's attention this week. As well as exempting the carbon tax from agriculture I think would be a very strong step forward. But obviously a lot of our farmers, ranchers and producers have jobs off the farm. And they can certainly apply for some of these programs through small businesses, EDC and ESTC as well."

Barlow says he also wants to assure residents the supply chain remains fully functional despite the closure of the Canada/U.S. border to non-essential travel.

he says the border remains open to trade and consumer goods.

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Video: Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Getting closer to planting season means one thing… it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready.

Today didn’t go exactly as planned—we thought we’d be hauling potatoes again, but instead we spent the day digging equipment out of the cellar, hooking up the grain drill, and getting tractors ready to roll. With wheat planting just around the corner, every piece of equipment matters.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal day without a few problems… dead batteries, hydraulic issues, and a truck tire that absolutely refused to cooperate. We tried everything—jump packs, bead bazooka, ratchet straps… and eventually had to bring out the “big guns” just to get things moving again.

But that’s farm life—adapt, fix, and keep moving forward.

We’re getting close to go-time. Wheat seed is coming soon, and planting season is right around the corner