Growing Forward 2 Boosts Northwest Territories Agriculture

Sep 19, 2012

N.W.T. Agriculture Sector Set to Receive $1.2 Million Per Year

Who knew that the agriculture could be so brought in the Northwest Territories, but with the help of the new five-year Growing Forward 2 agreement will mean $1.2 million per year is given to the agriculture sector in the N.W.T. and will be an increase of nearly $500,00 per year.

"This will be able to pick up some of the slack or fill in some of the areas were producers can’t access funding through our program. There is the opportunity for them to look for other funding options, as well to get themselves started and to get themselves established and continue to grow the industry,” said Andrew Cassidy, Executive Director for the Territorial Farmers Association.

This announcement is good news for farmers in the region and will hopefully bring more attention to the viability of the regions agriculture resources.

"This is basically the government of the Northwest Territories saying we recognize that this is a viable industry, we are here to help support the industry. We have leveraged some additional funds over the years from the federal government."

With Canada home to prime agriculture farmland, you don’t often hear about agriculture in the N.W.T. Instead you hear about the Western Provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario agriculture. The government has made a step in the right direction with providing support to all areas in Canada that have agriculture as a viable option.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.