CFA Applauds Government's AgriRecovery Support for Prairie Farmers

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) welcomes the federal government’s announcement made yesterday to flow $448 million through the AgriRecovery Program to farmers affected by excess moisture conditions in the Prairies. 

“The funding is positive news for farmers who had to leave acres of land unseeded due to extreme moisture conditions or whose fields were flooded. The CFA applauds the federal government as well as the governments of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan for recognizing the need and sending a strong signal to farmers that the sector’s success is important and is key in keeping the Canadian economy strong and competitive,” said CFA President Ron Bonnett.

Bonnett added, “The CFA hopes the government will allocate targeted funding to affected farmers quickly. Details need to be finalized promptly with the funding reaching farmers soon to meet the need. These weather conditions are out of the farmers’ control and timely support helps producers continue to offer high-quality feed and livestock for domestic and international markets.” 

This AgriRecovery payment will provide $30 per acre that could not be seeded as of June 20, 2011, and for crop land that was seeded but then flooded out on or before July 31, 2011.

“We are anxious to see the specific program details for Manitoba so we can get that information to our members affected by this year’s catastrophic weather events,” said Doug Chorney, President of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP). “KAP has been lobbying to ensure that any programs announced are meaningful for farmers and their businesses which mean no deductibles should be applied and we thank the Province of Manitoba for their commitment to this.”

“The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) appreciated that both Provincial Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud and Federal Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz toured the affected areas and clearly understand the severity of the situation. When you couple this funding with the other programs like crop insurance, these dollars can go a long way to help farm income and land reclamation. APAS is also pleased the announced financial support will be extended to livestock operations affected by the extreme weathers conditions,” said Greg Marshall, President of APAS.

“Wild Rose Agricultural Producers (WRAP) thanks both the Province of Alberta and the federal government for the support they are showing our producers during these challenging times,” commented Humphrey Banack, President of WRAP and Vice-President of CFA. “We are proud to be suppliers of food worldwide and hope that AgriRecovery funds can start flowing to producers quickly so we can get our operations ready for next year and keep the value chain intact.”

The CFA encourages continued collaboration between governments and farm organizations in addressing these kinds of disasters quickly and effectively.