Alberta to launch Risk Mitigation Program

The Risk Mitigation Program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership) will be launched this week and will be accepting applications. This program supports projects that proactively mitigate risks to protect and safeguard Alberta’s animal and plant resources, farm families and workers, food supply, and irrigation conveyance works. It includes seven subject areas:

Animal Health Biosecurity supports the enhancement of industry-wide adoption, improvements, and implementation of established national standards of species-specific biosecurity practices in Alberta. It also supports communication activities to increase awareness and knowledge of current and emerging livestock disease risks and implementation of mitigation measures to reduce risk in the province. As well, it supports innovation and collaboration to develop plans to reduce and mitigate current and emerging animal disease risks.

 

Animal Health Traceability supports livestock traceability technology adoption and evaluations, training/education activities, investments in systems that advance livestock movement reporting, and other elements of livestock traceability in order to better anticipate, assess and manage risks and threats associated with animal health.

 

Animal Welfare Humane Slaughter supports technology adoption and increases knowledge to reduce the risk of animal distress at slaughter.

 

Food Safety supports agri-processors to increase their food safety knowledge, implement strategies/solutions to proactively mitigate identified food safety risks, and/or achieve food safety certification in order to supply to current markets and/or access new markets. It also provides support at the industry level to increase the knowledge of food safety risks/gaps and strategies, to mitigate those risks, and to accelerate the adoption and implementation of food safety systems.

 

Irrigation Conveyance Works provides support for studies, projects and the development of tools to mitigate risks to enhance the long term viability and sustainability of irrigation infrastructure in Alberta.

 

Farm Safety supports development and delivery of farm safety educational programs that increase awareness and knowledge of farm safety risks, enhancing safety on Alberta farms and ranches. It also supports enhancement of farm safety curriculum for post-secondary agriculture related programs in Alberta.

 

Plant Health provides support for the development and knowledge transfer of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) controls to effectively address the risks of new/emerging and existing crop and/or bee pests under Alberta conditions.

 

Find more information and eligibility requirements for the Risk Mitigation Program.

 

In Alberta, the Partnership represents a federal-provincial investment of $406 million in strategic programs and initiatives for the agricultural sector. The Risk Mitigation Program is one of the 15 programs that will be offered in Alberta through Partnership funding.

 

Find more information about the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in Alberta at cap.alberta.ca. Email CAP.RiskManagement@gov.ab.ca for specific inquiries concerning the Risk Mitigation Program.

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.