Five programs designed to help New Brunswick farmers find or make room for improved profitability on their operations will run on a shared $7.7 million pot of federal and provincial funding.
The new programs, all booked to run for the next four years and collectively called the Agriculture Futures Initiative, were launched Saturday at Moncton. They include:
- the New Brunswick Site Suitability Assessment, which will provide farms with “environmental and resource information… to make better economic and environmental use of existing and potential farmland;”
- the Capturing Crop Development Opportunities program, which will back farmers, organizations, agribusiness and schools to develop “new crops and sectors,” and add value to crops by “maximizing their uses in non-food markets;”
- the Plant and Livestock Health and Quality program, aimed at reducing impacts of pests and diseases on crop and livestock sectors;
- the Agriculture Profitability Enhancement program, which is to fund farmers to ferret out any “unique inefficiencies” or change any production processes; by which they can lower their costs of production; and
- Seizing Opportunities for Value-Added and Niche Production, a program to help “small-scale” agrifood businesses buy or adapt equipment and processes to cut costs, improve product quality and develop new products.
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The federal share of $4.62 million will flow through the AgriFlexibility fund, while the New Brunswick government will put up $3.08 million.
Funding is subject to the project meeting all eligibility requirements and the signing of a contribution agreement, the governments said Saturday.
