Manitoba unveils Growing Forward 2 programs

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Published: April 22, 2013

Manitoba has officially unlocked its share of the federal/provincial money available for programs under the sequel to the Growing Forward ag policy funding framework.

Federal and provincial officials on Monday announced Manitoba will have a five-year budget of $176 million out of the $2 billion previously committed by the federal government and all participating provinces and territories to “GF2” programming, separate from the new framework’s business risk management (BRM) suite of income stabilization programs.

Details and application information were already available Monday for one of Manitoba’s Growing Forward 2 programs, dubbed “Growing Assurance-Environment.” The new program includes the previous framework’s support for development and renewal of on-farm Environmental Farm Plans (EFPs).

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It also provides 65 per cent cost-shared funding toward specific on-farm beneficial management practices (BMPs) that support the province’s strategy to reduce the risk of nutrient loss to water, such as:

  • increased manure storage capacity;
  • improved (repaired) manure storage;
  • manure treatment;
  • farmyard runoff control (including retention ponds, catch basins, upstream diversion);
  • “extensive wintering” of livestock (shelterbelts, portable shelters, alternative watering systems, improved field access, fencing); and
  • relocation of livestock confinement (corrals, paddocks, shelters) away from higher-risk areas for water contamination.

The new program’s application deadline is May 15 and caps the total amount payable to one farm operation at $125,000 for all the above agri-environment BMP incentives in Manitoba over the life of the programs — except for manure treatment.

Available funding is also capped within each of the BMP categories. The maximum support for increasing manure storage capacity will be $125,000; for improved/repaired manure storage, $100,000; for farmyard runoff control, $70,000; for relocation of livestock confinement, $85,000; and for wintering capacity, $50,000.

Manure treatment funding, including construction of solid-liquid separation systems as well as engineering design work, is capped separately at $375,000.

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), the province’s general farm group, is “pleased” the EFP program will continue, and “we anticipate continued positive response from producers,” KAP president Doug Chorney said in the province’s release.

“Manitoba farmers have great respect for our water and land resources, and through the assistance announced today we will be able to add to the 8.8 million acres that have already been assessed for best management practices.”

Other programs in the “Growing Assurance” segment to be announced later are expected to support food safety, animal welfare, plant and animal health, biosecurity and traceability systems as well as “activities that support national initiatives.”

“Opportunities”

The Manitoba government said Monday its Growing Forward 2 priorities between now and the framework’s expiry at the end of March 2018 will focus on three areas: competitiveness and market development, innovation, and adaptability and industry capacity.

Details are still to come for other program segments announced Monday, including:

  • Growing Innovation, supporting research work by “state-of-the-art organizations, agencies and farms” to conduct “innovation-driven” projects;
  • Growing Value, putting up “strategic investments” for farmers and processors to carry out “transformational activities that promote value-added product development, commercialization and bringing innovation to market;”
  • Growing Actions, providing targeted funding to ag organizations for strategic development related to “market-based opportunities and challenges;”
  • Growing Visions, backing agricultural and rural organizations to “help develop and implement strategic plans that position the organization to lead the sector forward;”
  • Growing Adaptation, to help create “sustainable systems to secure adequate, quality water supplies for agricultural, agri-food and agri-business purposes in rural areas;” and
  • Growing Competitiveness, offering financial support for skill and knowledge development, and group training and individual training for young farmers and for “young agri-food and agri-product processors.”

The $176 million for non-BRM programs in Manitoba marks a 50 per cent increase in cost-shared funding compared to the previous Growing Forward framework, the governments said Monday. The federal government, under the GF2 agreement, has also already budgeted $1 billion across Canada for “federal-only” strategic initiatives including the AgriInnovation, AgriMarketing and AgriCompetitiveness programs.

GF2 also commits the federal and provincial governments to BRM funding for programs such as AgriStability and AgriInvest.

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