The Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has released its wish list as the provincial government begins budget deliberations.
KAP’s budget recommendations address economic competitiveness, the environment, labour and public trust.
“Many farmers struggled in 2021 because of ongoing drought conditions in parts of Manitoba,” said KAP president Bill Campbell. “This has re-emphasized the fact that government policies, programs and services are important to the competitiveness of agriculture, especially in difficult times.”
KAP wants to see the provincial government act in six key areas, and:
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- Increase funding toward initiatives and programs that build climate resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recognizing the work that farmers do to ensure a healthy environment for future generations.
- Allocate contingency funding to assist Manitoba’s agriculture industry if drought conditions persist in 2022.
- Continue removing education property taxes from farm property and consult with KAP when developing Manitoba’s new education funding model.
- Develop a targeted agriculture labour strategy in partnership with KAP’s labour committee to reduce chronic labour shortages facing the sector.
- Support educational programs like Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba, which promote agriculture literacy and awareness to build public trust in agriculture.
- Find a solution regarding carbon pricing in Manitoba. Any plan must exempt fuel used for drying grain and heating barns and return all tax revenue earned from agricultural activities to the sector.
For more content related to drought management visit The Dry Times, where you can find a collection of stories from our family of publications as well as links to external resources to support your decisions through these difficult times.
