SASKATOON – Saskatchewan livestock producers still don’t know if they will receive help from Agri-Recovery to cover feed shortages caused by drought.
Provincial agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud asked the federal government in November to consider triggering the program, which is supposed to respond to natural disasters such as weather.
There has been no reply and last week Bjornerud said he would raise the issue at the Feb. 5 federal-provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting.
“It’s frustrating from my point of view,” he told reporters at a beef industry conference. “It’s easy to announce these programs, but if they don’t really end up showing us where they can go and what they’re dealing with, it’s really tough for me provincially.”
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The request came through Saskatchewan livestock organizations after last year’s drought left many producers short of winter feed.
AgriRecovery is intended to provide quick, targeted assistance for regional disasters, according to the federal website. Ottawa and the requesting province are to decide together if assistance is warranted and how it should be provided.
Bjornerud said drought should qualify.
“We’re still a little bit out in the dark about what AgriRecovery does for us,” he told the conference.
Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association chair Jack Hextall said his understanding is that the program is “idling at the curb ready to go.”
He said feed supplies are shrinking and there is concern about animal welfare. Producers’ welfare is also at stake, he added.
“Some producers owe more on these cows than they’re probably worth,” Hextall said.
The province’s feed and forage listing as of Jan. 27 showed baled hay ranging from $58 per ton for slough hay to $125 per ton for excellent quality alfalfa.
The average price per ton was $90. Baled green feed averaged $78 and straw bales averaged $37.
