CCGA Makes Improvements To Cash Advance Program

The Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) is making changes to its Cash Advance Program this year.

 

“For the 2020 program year CCGA has eliminated the administration fee, which was previously set at $50 per applicant,” said CCGA President & CEO Rick White. “In addition, farmers who take advantage of the interest-bearing benefits of an Advance Payments Program cash advance offered through CCGA will see a further reduction in the interest rate to prime less 0.75%.”

 

The Advance Payments Program is a federal program administered by CCGA. Under the program, the Government of Canada provides the loan guarantee, funds the interest-free portion of advances and helps to make low interest rates on the remainder for Canadian producers.

 

Through CCGA, farmers can access advances on over 50 field crop and livestock commodities, as well as honey. Farmers can apply for a cash advance of up to $100,000 interest-free and to a maximum of $1,000,000. The interest-bearing portion is charged an interest rate of prime less 0.75%.

 

“Beginning today, farmers wanting to get a jump start on their spring cash advance can submit their 2020 application to our office,” said Dave Gallant, CCGA Director of Finance and Operations. “By applying in March, farmers can have their advance processed during our pre-application period, which means their advance could be approved and advance funds available to them early in April. Our first advances will be issued to farmers on April 1st.”

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.