KAP Says $252 Million For Farmers A Good Start

May 06, 2020

The following statement (May 5) is attributable to Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) President Bill Campbell:

“Today, the federal government announced $252M in new funding for the agriculture industry across this country. For the first time since this pandemic started two months ago, we have seen a measure of progress and support from Ottawa in terms of business risk management programming.

Producers across Manitoba and Canada continue to feel enormous pressure due to COVID-19. Beef and pork producers have seen their markets disrupted because of facility closures in other jurisdictions and potato producers have seen demand crater due to restaurant closures.

Additional money in the AgriRecovery program is a good start however the federal government can only provide 60% funding into the program. We need the provincial government to step up with their portion of the funding, which amounts to 40%. Reduced livestock price insurance premiums for cattle producers and crop insurance premiums for potato producers are required as well.

Business risk management programming needs to work better for Manitoba and Canadian farmers. KAP members have been clear on this issue since well before the pandemic started and now is the time to get stakeholders together to fix these programs so they are bankable, simple, equitable to all commodities, and predictable.

As we have said previously, there is no better time for us to work together towards larger scale improvements for the next policy framework and build on the programs and supporting administration that what we have now to make it through.”

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Video: Back On The Fields | Cutting Alfalfa Hay| Crop Talk

We are cutting our second-cut alfalfa hay! Our machinery hasn't been repaired, but the weather is clear, so we take our opportunity to get back on the fields making hay. The alfalfa crop was ready to harvest, and any delays would result in poor quality feed for our sheep, so we decided to go ahead and get that mower rolling. We have a little crop talk about how we cut the hay with our John Deere hydrostatic mower, how we lay the hay out flat in rows to help it dry quicker, and how the two different plantings in that hay field have developed at varying rates and densities. We discuss the quality of the alfalfa hay and show how differing percentages of grasses mixed in with the alfalfa make a difference in the volume of the hay harvested. Hay is the primary feed source on our sheep farm. Getting it done just right is imperative for sheep farming, sheep health, and sheep care. Quality feed sets the stage for producing productive and profitable sheep and allows for feeding throughout the winter season when pasture grazing is no longer an option for those farmers raising sheep in cold climates such as Canada. While in the hay field, we also have a look at the adjacent corn crop and marvel at how well it has developed in such a short period of time.