New insurance program to help grow New Brunswick beef sector

Jun 12, 2024

Fredericton, New Brunswick – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

A new risk management tool for beef producers aims to protect them financially and help their sector grow.

The new Maritime Livestock Price Insurance Pilot Program will allow producers in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to purchase price protection on beef cattle in the form of an insurance policy, in the event of unexpected market declines.

The purchaser of the policy pays 100% of the premiums while the federal and provincial governments share the cost of administering the pilot program.

The Maritime Livestock Price Insurance Pilot Program is a 2-year regional initiative meant to complement existing business risk management (BRM) programs available to the livestock industry. It will be evaluated and could be extended if it is deemed successful.

The $1.2 billion in farm cash receipts New Brunswick recorded in 2023 broke the previous record of $1.1 billion, set in 2022.

Source : Canada.ca

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.