The Government of Alberta announced on Friday, August 6 a total of $136 million is being made available by the province to livestock producers as drought conditions continue.
Alberta’s government has also requested an additional $204 million in support from the federal government through the joint AgriRecovery disaster relief program; prior to the press conference, the federal government announced $100 million in immediate relief to help livestock producers and beekeepers in five provinces--including Alberta--to purchase feed, water, and fencing.
“After being impacted by extreme dry conditions, this new AgriRecovery relief funding will provide producers with the support they need to get through these challenging times,” said Associate Minister of Rural Economic Development Nate Horner during the press conference.
The AgriRelief disaster relief program costs will be split with 60 per cent of funding provided from the provincial government, and the remaining 40 per cent from federal funding.
Minister of Environment and Parks Jason Nixon also announced temporary changes to grazing and water regulations and to streamline the program to support producers in drought affected areas.
Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) President Paul McLauchlin says the RMA is asking the government to expedite claims processing and “start making connections.” He notes the northern United States have also been impacted by the drought conditions; however, they are moving much faster to provide assistance to impacted farming and ranching communities.
“They’re actually buying up resources in Lethbridge County to bring down to the states,” McLauchlin tells the Mail. “That will draw resources out of Alberta, so we need to move faster.”
McLauchlin adds the RMA is also asking the government to bring Ropin’ the Web back online; Ropin’ the Web is an online marketplace geared towards agriculture producers, formerly run by Alberta Agriculture, which allows farmers and producers to share resources for sale.
Although McLauchlin notes there is not an abundance of resources, “There’s an ability to move resources around.”
