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Building A Unified Voice for Agriculture: Agriculture Updates, Supports, and News: March 2025

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Building A Unified Voice for Agriculture: Agriculture Updates, Supports, and News: March 2025

Agriculture Updates since February 2025

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Help us determine what content you want to see in our monthly update

We started our agriculture newsletter in 2021 as a way to streamline and summarize content applicable to our agriculture sectors. We thought it was a good time to gauge how valuable this is for you based on the time we invest in it for you. Our goal is to take insights from the various newsletters we receive and streamline them into one monthly update. Now we want to hear from you - would you like us to continue providing you with this monthly update? How valuable is the monthly update to you? What is the most valuable content provided in the updates? What kind of content would you like us to focus on? Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey https://forms.office.com/r/Vqdnu6cnEA

Agriculture ministers meet to discuss evolving Canada-United States trading relationship

Former federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay recently met with provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture, as part of ongoing discussions related to the impacts and potential responses to unjustified tariffs being implemented by the United States. Ministers discussed various coordinated approaches to help Canadian agri-food producers and processors diversify international trade as well as to boost internal trade options. Ministers noted the importance of utilizing the suite of business risk management programs to meet the current and future needs of producers. On March 7, 2025, the Government of Canada announced that the interest-free limit under the Advance Payments Program will be set at $250,000 for 2025. This change will represent estimated savings of up to $65 million for over 13,000 producers Read more

In case you missed it - Agriwebinars on AgriStability and AgriInvest including Program Changes under SCAP

Two webinars were held recently on AgriStability and AgriInvest Program Changes under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), presented by Colleen Jolicoeur and Lindsay Petersen of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The presentation recordings are now available online. 

Topics covered included AgriStability, program deadlines, tax-aligned reference margins, coverage notices, AgriInvest, and Agri-environmental Risk Assessment. Visit the Past Webinars section on Agriwebinar.com to access the recordings and enter your email address when prompted. The presentation slideshow is also available along with the video recording. 

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week

March 16-22 marked Canadian Agricultural Safety Week – an annual national campaign that raises awareness about the importance of farm safety. Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is a good time to remind those working on farms and ranches about the importance of farm health and safety measures to keep operations safe, sustainable and successful. Effective and proactive health and safety measures are an integral part of thriving farming operations." Find out more

Funding Updates 

FCC launches Trade Disruption Customer Support program

To support the Canadian agriculture and food industry as U.S. tariffs are implemented, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is providing $1 billion in new lending to help alleviate financial challenges. Through the Trade Disruption Customer Support program, FCC will provide relief for viable customers and non-customers who meet the necessary lending criteria. This includes access to an additional credit line up to $500,000 and new term loans. Current FCC customers have the option to defer principal payments for up to 12 months on existing loans. FCC customers and non-customers should contact their local FCC office or call 1-800-387-3232 to discuss their individual situations and available options. Learn more

Alberta Export Expansion Program
This program provides funding to help export-ready small and medium-sized enterprises, industry associations, Indigenous organizations and economic development organizations in the province enhance access to international markets and attract global buyers. Applications are currently being accepted. Make sure to review program changes and eligibility requirements before submitting an application. Apply Here

Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

Alberta producers, farmers, ranchers, processors and organizations can apply for these cost-shared grant programs. See what programs are available and the list of eligible applicants here.

Current RDAR Funding Opportunities

RDAR has four programs open for applications. Check out the details here.

Labour Resources

Agriculture Job Connector: https://www.alberta.ca/agriculture-job-connector.aspx 

Additional Government & Industry News and Information

Improving land and property rights services

The Land and Property Rights Tribunal (LPRT) holds an important role in ensuring Albertans’ property rights are protected by ensuring a fair and impartial appeal process for property assessments, surface rights, compensation, land use planning and other matters that affect land ownership and the municipalities where they live. To further strengthen Albertans’ rights to appeal decisions made regarding their land and property, the province has hired an external consultant to review the LPRT business processes to ensure they are effective and responsive to the needs of Albertans. Learn more

Growing the agriculture and biogas industries

Updates to the Agricultural Operation Practices Act, if passed, would help reduce waste, allow farmers to supplement fertilizer with organic materials and help the province attract job-creating investment. The act and its regulations provide rules and standards for all agricultural operations that handle manure and organic materials. Biodigesters are already operating in the province, and this change will provide certainty for those who store and use biogas production byproducts as a nutrient source to grow crops and encourage investment in biodigester facilities. Find out more

Spring Wheat Production Manual: Written collaboratively by experts across key areas, from variety selection to harvest and storage, the Spring Wheat Production Manual serves as an invaluable resource. Farmers and agronomists can rely on this manual as a go-to reference for gaining deeper insights into specific topics whenever needed. Order your copy

Events, Webinars and Podcasts

Fully Funded Digital Marketing Skills Training 

Jelly Academy is excited to provide fully funded digital marketing skills training through Digital Marketing Skills Canada in partnership with the Government of Canada. Upon completion of this course, you will gain knowledge and skills that you can apply directly to your marketing efforts. This includes tactical learning in Social Media, SEO, Google Advertising, Social Media Advertising, Website Analytics, PR + Influencer Marketing and Growth Marketing strategies.  Who’s it for? 

1.    Small business owners who manage their own marketing efforts, but need more tactical know-how to improve performance and drive results 

2.    Entry level marketers that need to round out their skill set in more areas of digital marketing to boost their resumé and support the growth of the business they’re working for 

3.    Team members who dabble in/have some responsibility for marketing efforts (perhaps they support with email marketing management) that need a better technical understanding of digital marketing tactics.

Are you ready to learn tactical skills and techniques to grow your business in Agriculture? Learn more and apply with the start date March 26. Learn more and apply.

Navigating a new export environment

Join Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation for the "Navigating a new export environment" webinar to unlock agri-food export success in an evolving trade landscape. The webinar is designed to help Alberta's agri-food exporters adapt to shifting export dynamics, explore alternative export markets and implement a competitive market entry strategy.

Led by Aaron Rosland, a former Canadian commercial diplomat with 25 years of global expansion experience, this session will provide critical insights, expert guidance and practical solutions to help your business stay competitive.

Attendees can also apply for an exclusive, post-webinar one-on-one coaching session with Aaron. These 60-minute sessions are designed to move agri-food companies from information to implementation, helping attendees implement their international strategy. 

Learn more and register for the March 18 webinar

Be a Host: Open Farms Days 2025

Registration is now open for farms and ranches to be part of the 13th annual Alberta Open Farm Days on August 16 and 17. Alberta Open Farm Days is annual 2-day summer event that presents Albertans with an opportunity to experience the farm firsthand from farmers and ranchers. The program started in 2013 and has encouraged Albertans to engage with their local communities and experience agri-tourism. Read more.

FCC Commanding Confidence: How Women Can Build and Leverage Leadership Presence: March 20 | Register

Farm Financial Fluency for Grain and Oilseed Farmers: March 17, 18 and 20 | Register

Farm Financial Fluency for Beef Farmers: March 24, 25 and 27 | Register

FCC Young Farmer Summit: March 26 | Register

Trade & Biofuel Policy - what Canadian canola farmers need to know: March 27 | Register

Agri-News online - www.alberta.ca/agri-news.aspx and upcoming events

Other Resources

As always, you can always find more agribusiness resources on our website: https://www.southeastalbertachamber.ca/agribusiness-resources/

If you know of someone who may be interested in the work we are doing and might be interested in investing in this work through membership, please feel free to refer them to us. You can also encourage others to subscribe to our agriculture updates through this page. We look forward to continuing our work with you and pushing for our collective priorities on your behalf.

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