Federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers met in Whitehorse, Yukon from July 17 to 19. Photo: Supplied

Ag ministers discuss BRM changes 

Canada’s agriculture ministers wrapped up their annual meeting in Whitehorse Friday saying they continue to look at changes to business risk management programs to make them more responsive.

In early December, the Saskatchewan River was at its second lowest level in the past 23 years.   Photo: Alex McCuaig

Alberta expands livestock drought recovery supports

Only a narrow band of the province remains exempt from the aid program

The 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative, funded through the AgriRecovery framework by the federal and provincial governments, offers payments of up to $150 per head to livestock producers who have 15 or more animals per type of livestock, and have altered usual grazing practices for more than 21 days due to drought.

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns outside West Kelowna, B.C. on Aug. 18, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

AgriRecovery feed, freight, breeding herd aid set for Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C.

Feds, provinces announce combined $365 million in aid programs

The federal and Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia governments are jointly putting up $365 million to support ranchers and farmers up against this summer’s drought and wildfire damage. The feds on Friday announced their 60 per cent, or $219 million, share of AgriRecovery program funding for the three westernmost provinces. “I’ve had the opportunity to […] Read more


File photo of farmland around an abandoned farmstead near Swift Current, Sask. (ImagineGolf/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan front-loads AgriRecovery funding

Joint federal-provincial program development still underway

The Saskatchewan government says it will put up to $70 million toward “immediate measures” to support livestock producers, ahead of an expected federal-provincial AgriRecovery program for that purpose. Application forms are expected to be available via Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. (SCIC) “in the coming days” for funding “to help offset extraordinary costs of feeding livestock […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan budget aims to spur ag investment

Potash, crude oil resource revenues help cut deficit

Sweetening existing tax credits on big-ticket investments, and setting up a new Crown corporation to support Indigenous investors, are among the items expected to help encourage new value-added ag projects in Saskatchewan’s latest budget. Provincial Finance Minister Donna Harpauer on Wednesday released her 2022-23 budget with $17.6 billion in expenditures on $17.2 billion in revenues, […] Read more

A restoration company vehicle sits in a flooded field at Abbotsford, B.C. on Nov. 30, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Jennifer Gauthier)

AgriRecovery underway for flood-battered B.C. farms

Feds, province put up $228 million

The federal and British Columbia governments’ response to last fall’s destructive flooding now includes what’s said to be the biggest farm disaster recovery package in the province’s history. Provincial Agriculture Minister Lana Popham and her federal counterpart Marie-Claude Bibeau on Monday announced cost-shared funding of $228 million for the Canada-B.C. Flood Recovery for Food Security […] Read more


Applications to provide emergency support to producers incurring extraordinary costs to feed livestock due to drought will be accepted until Nov. 1.

AgriRecovery launched for Northwestern Ontario farmers

Details on the AgriRecovery funding announced last month to help drought-stricken farmers in Northwestern Ontario are now available. The Canada-Ontario Transported Feed AgriRecovery Initiative is now accepting applications until November 1, 2021 and will provide emergency support to producers who are incurring extraordinary costs to feed livestock due to drought conditions in the Kenora, Rainy River and […] Read more

Beef and sheep farmers in northwestern Ontario received nearly 6 million pounds of hay through the Northwestern Livestock Emergency Initiative

Funds support drought-stricken Ontario farmers

Payments will help but the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work long-term, says industry

[UPDATED: Aug. 23, 2021] A collective sigh of relief greeted the Aug. 6 federal government announcement of a $100 million emergency drought fund. “We haven’t received any details on what that will look like, but,” said Beef Farmers of Ontario president Rob Lipsett. “It seemed almost like a weight lifting off a lot of people’s […] Read more