An extension to the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program (FRWIP) deadline for livestock producers was recently announced.
“The past year has been a harsh reminder of how important water reliability is to agricultural producers,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “By extending the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program, we are giving farmers more time to complete projects such as dugouts, wells and pipelines that will help to ensure a better supply of this essential resource for livestock.”
The Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a 5 year - $3 billion commitment by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada's agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. This includes a $2 billion cost-shared commitment of 60% federal and 40% provincial and territorial for programs that are designed by provinces and territories.
Along with the drought conditions experienced in 2021, producers also found it is difficult to source materials and contractors to construct their water development projects. Due to these circumstances, the governments have adapted FRWIP to allow livestock producers who plan to claim over $50,000 in rebates to submit a preliminary application by March 31st, 2022, to complete their project(s) and submit for a rebate by September 30th, 2022.
"The Government of Saskatchewan recognizes the challenges producers are facing with the availability of contractors and materials," Agriculture Minister David Marit said. "It is important to provide more time for producers to complete their water projects so they can take advantage of additional funding to develop secure and sustainable water sources to meet the needs of their operation and help them mitigate the impacts of future dry conditions."
On July 14th, 2021, the Government of Saskatchewan announced changes to temporarily increase the maximum funding a livestock producer can receive from the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program for dugouts, wells and pipelines. The maximum rebate for livestock producers for the period April 1st, 2021 through to March 31st, 2022, increased to $150,000.
The first $50,000 is based on a 50/50 cost-share and the remaining $100,000 is a 70/30 government/producer cost-share. For more information on the extension program, please go to: www.saskatchewan.ca
