“With the irrigation season now complete, Alberta farmers may be looking towards improving their on-farm irrigation systems for the upcoming season,” says Marie Oxley, irrigation management specialist with the Alberta government. “The drought of the past summer has some wondering how they can irrigate more with (potentially) less water. Some producers may plan on growing more drought resistant crops while others may be looking at upgrading their irrigation systems to more efficient equipment.”
Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation helps irrigation producers fund equipment upgrades through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) Water Program. The program provides grants for existing irrigated agriculture operations in Alberta to increase on-farm water and energy savings.
The Sustainable CAP Water Program supports the purchase of new low-pressure centre pivots (or linears) or sub-surface drip irrigation to replace high-pressure pivot systems, side-wheel systems or gravity (flood) systems. It also supports the purchase of equipment to upgrade existing low-pressure centre pivots, such as nozzles, pressure regulators, pumps, control panels, variable rate irrigation, variable frequency drives and more.
Expenses that are not eligible for payment under the program include used equipment, equipment purchased for an irrigation expansion project, in-kind labour, repair or maintenance of existing equipment, GST, and equipment invoiced before April 1, 2023 or after March 31, 2028.
To apply to the program, an application form can be downloaded online. Invoices from the irrigation dealer along with proof of a minimum down payment of 10% must be included with the application. Completed applications and supporting documents can be emailed to irrigationefficiency@gov.ab.ca. Completed applications can also be mailed or faxed to the address on the application form.
“Applications are reviewed as they are received and evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to the eligibility criteria and funding availability,” says Oxley. “Funding is not guaranteed, so please contact us if you have any questions.”
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