Manitoba’s agriculture minister says he’s not overly concerned about AgriRecovery uptake numbers so far.
As of Oct. 22, the province had reported 118 farmer applications approved, accounting for $1.67 million of the total $155 million approved for AgriRecovery programs this year.
The province has continued processing applications since those numbers were recorded, as well as unveiling a third AgriRecovery program centred on the cost of replacing breeding females that were culled this year. That longer-term program will not start its initial reporting phase until 2022.
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Fall weather has likely also played into application counts, Ralph Eichler said.
“We did get a lot of rain in August and a lot of the feed stocks got replaced, so up until the snow a couple of weeks ago, most of the cattle were still out on the pastures,” he said.
The province’s drought year saw a welcomed influx of water in late summer and fall 2021. While it didn’t replace the water in dugouts, Eichler noted, it did come with a surge in regrowth and new lease on extended grazing.
Many cattle were still taking advantage of practices like residue grazing at the same time AgriRecovery programs were taking applications.
Eichler’s note on extended grazing matches comments made by the Manitoba Beef Producer’s earlier this fall. The producer group also noted the impact that extended grazing might be having on applications, as producers were still running the numbers on their feed situation.
The program is also receipts based, the MBP noted, something that may be curbing uptake thus far due to cash flow.
MBP is currently urging its members to tap into the program.
The producers’ group also maintains that it would like to see the list of eligible costs expanded to things such as custom silaging or opening atypical areas for grazing or hay harvest.
When asked about the eligibility criteria, Eichler said the program is “a continuous dialogue and we’ll adapt.”
Manitoba’s programs also targeted areas where the drought impact was most felt, Eichler said.
“We have the money. It’s there for them when they need it, and producers are not shy when it comes to reaching out to take advantage of the programs,” he said.
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