About 3,400 farmers have successfully participated in two one-day environmental farm planning workshops in Manitoba.
The farmers, who account for nearly one-third of the 15 million acres of arable land in Manitoba, filled out EFP workbooks and received certificates of completion.
Another 600 have attended meetings but haven’t yet received certificates.
Wanda McFadyen, executive director of the non-profit Farm Stewardship Association of Manitoba, said the voluntary, confidential, self-assessment process allows producers to look at their environmental assets and risks and develop an action plan.
The independent producer-organized group has been hosting workshops around the province to help farmers get involved in the program since it was launched in 2005. It also reviews and approves individual farm action plans.
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“The program is designed to suit their timeframe, their timeline, and works within their particular financial situation,” McFadyen said.
Producers who go through the process and receive a certificate are eligible to apply for up to $30,000 cost shared through Agriculture Canada’s national farm stewardship program.
Farm improvements eligible for up to 50-50 federal funding deal with water quality issues such as preserving riparian areas, building portable watering systems and establishing buffer zones for crop farmers.
Other projects eligible for 30-70 cost-sharing, for which the farmer pays 70 percent, include improvements to fuel and fertilizer storage and better pest management systems.
The program ends in March of 2008.
