Steady rain doused Lloydminster as agriculture ministers announced drought assistance for livestock producers.“Mother Nature is trying to do her part out there,” said federal minister Gerry Ritz.But this week’s rain won’t fix the effects of two years of severe drought, he said. Pasture development will be delayed four to six weeks this year.He and his counterparts, Bob Bjornerud of Saskatchewan and Jack Hayden of Alberta, announced up to $114 million to help producers buy feed and allow pastures that time to recover.The program is cost shared in the traditional 60 percent federal, 40 percent provincial arrangement.Ted Ford, who ranches near Westlock, Alta., and chairs Alberta Beef Producers’ cow-calf council, said the assistance is critical.The 2010 Pasture Recovery Initiative was rolled out under AgriRecovery. It allows producers in 64 Saskatchewan rural municipalities and 59 Alberta counties and municipal districts to access payments based on the type and number of breeding stock they had as of Jan. 1.The animals had to have grazed primarily in the drought area last year. Officials estimated there are more than 2.2 million breeding animals in the affected regions.The per head payments are: horses, $60; beef cattle and bison, $50; elk, $25; deer and llamas, $12.50; and, sheep, goats and alpacas, $10.Ritz said the program avoids potential trade action because it is meant to help pastures.“We are rejuvenating pastures here,” he said. “We’re not interfering with the market in any way.”Cattle organizations welcomed the announcement while acknowledging it took a long time for governments to announce details of a program that promises quick, targeted assistance for regional disasters.ABP asked the Alberta government for AgriRecovery help last October after flagging the issue in the summer.The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association also raised the issue last summer and Bjornerud took a request to trigger the program to Ottawa in November.SCA chair Jack Hextall has repeatedly raised the issue.“Producers in the affected areas were forced to be extremely resourceful to keep their operations afloat and will be thankful their struggles have been recognized,” he said in a news release.Canadian Cattlemen’s Association past-president Brad Wildeman also noted the announcement had been “a long time in the making.”“We’re hoping that this will start to create a framework and the atmosphere for other ministers across Canada to work through this process and support their producers when they need it,” he said.Calvin Knoss, president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, added that some of the uncertainty around what triggers AgriRecovery payments is now cleared up.SSGA vice-president Mark Elford asked the ministers if the triggers would be built in to eliminate a similar lengthy process.“We’re always looking for better triggers,” Ritz replied. “We know how important cash flow is to you and anything we can do to make it better, we’ll certainly address.”Agriculture Financial Services Corp. is administering the program in Alberta, while the agriculture ministry is doing the same in Saskatchewan.The application deadline is Sept. 1.
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