WINNIPEG (Staff) – An organization that runs courses for Manitoba farmers on improving production, management and marketing skills has lost half its funding.
Eleanor Menzies, of the Manitoba Agricultural Training Project, said she recently found out that the human resources development department will no longer provide $330,000.
The program receives the other half of its funding from the federal agriculture department’s Farm Business Management program. Menzies said she has heard the program will continue and she should find out soon how much money it will provide to Manitoba training efforts.
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She said that courses will likely be cut if there is less funding available. Right now, the money pays teachers, rents facilities and covers costs for distance education for about 100 courses.
About 1,200 farmers and farm employees participated in courses this year, paying for about one-quarter of the costs. Keystone Agricultural Producers, a provincial farm lobby organization, administers the program.
Menzies and an advisory group of producers plan programs and priorities in the summer. This same group would be faced with the chore of determining which courses go if funding is reduced.
