Supports available for struggling ag producers

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Ryan Dahlman

By Trevor Busch
Commentator/Courier
editor@tabertimes.com

For struggling producers dealing with the effects of drought across the region, support is available and can be accessed through provincial programs.

Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter pointed out it has been a tough harvest season for some producers in areas of the riding.

“There’s lots of places that are dry land that were really struggling. It depends upon where you’re at in the riding. Some places got lucky, they got some million dollar rains and they were okay.”

Hunter explained the reasoning behind the declaration of agricultural disasters by various municipalities in 2023, including the M.D. of Taber.

“All it does is, it’s a flag to the provincial and federal governments that we need to keep watching it. And it doesn’t – it’s just a flag, it’s just an indicator that we’ve got some problems here, and that we need to be aware of it.”

Separate from crop insurance, AgriStability is a program producers can access if they need help.

“So we have a very strong AgriStability crop insurance program in Alberta. It’s a subsidized federal- provincial subsidy for that programme. And so we have contingencies in place to be able to address those issues that they will apply for,” said Hunter.

As for what might be addressed at the upcoming fall session of the legislature, Hunter wasn’t revealing too many secrets.

“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, what’s going to come forward. I will tell you, though, that we are focused, as we said in our campaign, on jobs, economy, and making sure that Alberta has what they need from the federal government. And we’re going to push that. So that’s going to happen. And stay tuned.”