By Alice McFarlane

Assistance program details released for Saskatchewan livestock producers

Aug 30, 2021 | 1:58 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – Livestock producers are learning more about a program to help deal with the lack of feed.

The 2021 Canada-Saskatchewan Drought Response Initiative will consist of two payments totaling up to $200 per head for cattle with adjustments based on animal unit equivalents for other livestock.

The financial relief was set up to help offset the extraordinary costs livestock producers face related to the current drought, with a per head payment on female breeding livestock.

Agriculture Minister David Marit said the initial payment will provide producers with $100 per breeding female equivalent in inventory as of Aug. 1. The next payment will be up to $100 per breeding female equivalent in inventory as of Dec. 31.

Canadian-owned female livestock eligible through the program include beef and dairy cattle, bison, elk, sheep or goats that are bred or intended to be bred.

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The number of open replacement females that can be considered eligible livestock is 15 per cent of the total number of bred females.

Marit said the support is to help producers during the feed and water shortages brought on by the drought.

“We have worked efficiently to solidify initiative details and understand producers need financial assistance to help offset costs associated with herd management decisions,” Marit said.

Earlier this month, the Saskatchewan government said it would provide $119 million in direct support for drought-affected livestock producers under the AgriRecovery program which is part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership agreement, with funding shared on a 60-40 federal-provincial basis.

Details will be available on the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation website.

Producers can start submitting applications on Sept. 1.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW