In this and in future issues of the Western Producer, staff journalist Brian Cross will examine the point where public policy meets the farm.
Saskatchewan Agriculture has revamped a popular program that helps producers dig wells, install underground waterlines and excavate dugouts in pastures and farmyards.
The Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program (FRWIP) is the new and improved version of the former Canada-Saskatchewan Water Supply Expansion Program (CSWSEP).
The two programs are similar, but the budget for FRWIP is larger and the program has been expanded to include producers throughout the province.
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Under FRWIP, government will pay 50 percent of the cost of approved water expansion projects up to a maximum of $60,000 per applicant.
That means a farmer who applies for funding for a $120,000 project and completes the work within 18 months will get a $60,000 cheque in the mail.
For a farmer who’s been considering a water expansion program, that 50 percent discount will be hard to pass up.
A total of $53 million is up for grabs over the next four years and the province expects farmers to latch onto the program quickly.
Tom Schwartz, director of financial programs for Saskatchewan Agriculture, says the popularity of CSWSEP, the original program, convinced agriculture officials that a beefed-up, province-wide program was warranted.
Under CSWSEP, the provincial and federal governments threw $15 million into a pool to help pay for water expansion projects in 65 drought-stricken rural municipalities, most of them in Saskatchewan’s southwest.
Participation in that project was overwhelming. In fact, applications were so plentiful that total program funding was eventually increased to $28.3 million.
By the Dec. 3, 2008, application deadline, approximately 3,400 CSWSEP projects had been approved, said Schwartz.
Those applicants have until Nov. 1, 2009, to complete their projects. The 3,400 projects will cost an estimated $50 million to complete, an amount that will undoubtedly boost the bottom lines of well drillers, excavators and pipeline companies.
Fast forward to FRWIP, a four-year program that is part of Canada’s new Growing Forward agricultural policy.
According to Schwartz, FRWIP is essentially the same program as CSWSEP but funding is now available to farmers, ranchers and First Nations throughout the province.
To qualify, applicants must occupy a minimum of 75 acres of land and agriculture must be their primary source of income.
Some smaller, more intensive operations may also qualify, depending on the circumstances.
Eligible projects under FRWIP include dugouts, small and large diameter wells, and buried pasture pipelines that connect to a municipal water source.
For producers who have completed an Environmental Farm Plan, (EFP) it may possible to receive funding under FRWIP and the EFP program simultaneously.
Rural municipalities and First Nations can also receive FRWIP funding for community well projects and tank loading facilities.
Approved community projects are eligible for a 67 percent rebate worth a maximum of $150,000 per project.
It’s hard to say how far $53 million dollars will go in a program like FRWIP.
Based on CSWSEP figures, FRWIP’s budget could conceivably cover 6,000 to 6,500 projects in the province, assuming project costs and all other variables are constant.
One thing is clear. If you’ve been thinking of improving water systems on your farm or ranch, there’s never been a better time.
