Manitoba livestock producers now have until the end of this month to get in on a program to help pay to haul feed to their animals, or to haul their animals to feed.
The deadline to apply for the transportation component of the Canada-Manitoba Feed and Transportation Assistance Program (CM-FATAP) has been extended to March 31 from the original deadline of Feb. 18.
The program, first announced in December 2010, helps cover transportation costs for livestock producers whose feed supplies were reduced due to excessive moisture last year.
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Federal and provincial agriculture ministers Gerry Ritz and Stan Struthers said Wednesday in a release that farmers wanted the deadlines extended.
The extension gives farmers until March 31 to apply for the assistance, but also now gives them until March 31 to ship hay or animals under the program. To be eligible under the program, the hauling of livestock or feed previously had to be done between June 1, 2010 and March 15, 2011.
The program had also provided money to offset the costs of purchasing needed feed and of testing the nutritional value of feed — but the deadline for that component is not extended.
Eligible farmers can get 22 cents per tonne per loaded mile to transport straw, hay or greenfeed or 16 cents per tonne per loaded mile to move silage, up to 350 km. Transport of concentrated feedstuffs will be covered for 12 cents per tonne per loaded mile, up to 240 km.
The program will also pay 10 cents per head per loaded mile to haul cows, bulls, bison, elk and/or horses; six cents per head per loaded mile to haul calves; and four cents per head per loaded mile to haul sheep and goats.
Invoices must accompany the application for assistance.
Assistance is available for beef cattle, bison, elk, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas and horses kept for breeding purposes, and will be based on the breeding animals a producer owned or leased on July 1, 2010 and continued to own or lease up to the time of transportation.
— Allan Dawson is a reporter with the Manitoba Co-operator at Miami, Man.
