KAP Releases Six Recommendations For Budget 2022

Jan 10, 2022

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has released six recommendations as the Government of Manitoba develops Budget 2022.

KAP’s budget recommendations address economic competitiveness, the environment, labour and public trust.

“Many farmers struggled in 2021 because of ongoing drought conditions in parts of Manitoba,” said KAP president Bill Campbell. “This has re-emphasized the fact that government policies, programs and services are important to the competitiveness of agriculture, especially in difficult times.”

KAP recommendations:

Increase funding toward initiatives and programs that build climate resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recognizing the work that farmers do to ensure a healthy environment for future generations.
Allocate contingency funding to assist Manitoba’s agriculture industry if drought conditions persist in 2022.
Continue removing education property taxes from farm property and consult with KAP when developing Manitoba’s new education funding model.
Develop a targeted agriculture labour strategy in partnership with KAP’s labour committee to reduce chronic labour shortages facing the sector.
Support educational programs like Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba, which promote agriculture literacy and awareness to build public trust in agriculture.
Both levels of government need to find a solution regarding carbon pricing in Manitoba. Any plan must exempt fuel used for drying grain and heating barns and return all tax revenue earned from agricultural activities to the sector.

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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.