Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced the first wave of projects under the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program.
Under the ACT Program, funding is available for the ag sector to help develop and adopt the latest clean technologies to reduce Green House Gas emissions and enhance their competitiveness.
She says the first wave of 60 projects valued at $17.9 million have been approved under the program for projects across Canada.
"With the Agricultural Clean Technology program, our objective is to help farmers and agribusinesses continue to move towards a low carbon economy by focusing on three priority areas, green energy and energy efficiency, precision agriculture and the bioeconomy."
One of the 60 approved projects receiving funding under the ACT program was Wendland Farms at Walheim, Saskatchewan.
Bryan Wendland received over $250 thousand in funding through the program for a new high efficiency grain dryer on his, 7000 acre grain farm north of Saskatoon.
Wendland farms with his Dad and says they selected a mixed flow air dryer from Western Grain Dryer out of Manitoba.
"It's a tall dryer, they hold a lot of bushels, this one holds about 1800 and because it holds a lot of grain, the grain is kept in the dryer for a longer period of time during the drying process. This results in a slow and gentle dry, so the moisture can be removed from the kernel evenly."
He notes they also decided to bring in natural gas, which was going to be more expensive than propane initially, but would be more environmentally friendly and would eventually cheaper in the long run.
Wendland applied for the ACT funding in July 2021 and says it went very good, submitting the documents all went very well and seamless.
"The whole program was really focused around being environmentally friendly and reducing your carbon footprint. We think that's a great thing on our farm we've always been environmentally conscious."
Wendland's project is one of 24 projects with ACT funding valued at $7.6 Million dollars across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Bibeau says the Government of Canada is working together with agricultural producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The program helps them acquire more energy-efficient equipment and adopt innovative solutions to make their practices more sustainable. These investments build resilience to climate change and meet consumer expectations."
The Agricultural Clean Technology Program is part of the government’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy.
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