Farm Recovery Program

[Intrepid1]

Has anyone heard the particulars of the Alberta Farm Recovery Program? How do they determine who will get check in the mail?

[dfarms11]

I believe they are going to use your 2006 caisp figures and base payments on that information

[gvpoff]

1. Alberta announces assistance for livestock producers
by Larraine Andrews




Alberta Agriculture Minister George Groeneveld has announced $165 million in transitional funding for producers hit hard by the rising costs of feed, fuel and fertilizer. Groeneveld calls the new Alberta Farm Recovery Plan (AFRP) “a temporary bridge to a long-term, more sustainable solution,” to be developed by the industry over time.

Payments will begin by early November, says Vicki Chapman, customer service manager with the Canadian Income Stabilization (CAIS) Program in Lacombe. Initial payments will be issued manually to those with the most need, such as hog producers.

The majority of payments will be made in January 2008 once the computer system is updated to handle the calculations and to help facilitate 2007 tax planning already in progress.

To be eligible, producers must have farmed in Alberta in 2006, filed a farm income and expense statement with the tax authorities for 2006 and completed six months of farming activity and a production cycle.

If you have already applied under the 2006 CAIS program, you will not be required to provide any further information. Calculations will be made automatically. If you do not participate in CAIS, you must apply prior to Dec. 31, 2007.

Chapman says the program is targeted at livestock producers like hog operations that use grain for feeding. Rules for feedlots are still being worked out. She explains, “Each type of animal will have a different feed proxy.” For example, she says hog, calf, and cow-calf operations will all differ. “It is not a per animal payment.”

Chapman says that as a general guideline if you do not qualify for a 2006 CAIS payment, then you probably won’t qualify under the AFRP.

Although CAIS does not expect to finalize the formula required to calculate the payout until the end of the month, they describe the three-step process as follows: (1) calculate the normal 2006 CAIS entitlement, (2) increase the reference margin using a feed proxy based on the number of animals on the farm as well as a percentage of the actual fuel and fertilizer expense, and (3) recalculate the payment deducting the CAIS amount in Step 1 to arrive at the AFRP payment.

For more information, contact the CAIS Call Centre at 1-877-744-7900 or your local CAIS field analyst. As details become available they can be accessed at www.agric.gov.ab.ca or www.afsc.ca.

[Intrepid1]

The key question is what is the formula for determing payments and eligiblity?. Te governments press release is vague and would take a good accountant to speculate on the formula

[smcgrath76]

FYI for those without a CAIS account...
To apply for the program they require
Statement of release (dated 2001 - 2006)
Statement of Farm Income T2S1 (2001-2006)
Financial Statements (2001-2006)

These forms are available on the AFSC website under Risk Management/CAIS/Program Forms

Forms are Authorization Form, 2006 Supplementary Form.

Those on CAIS will theoretically be paid out automatically.

[dfarms11]

Ok, not liking what I am hearing now, According to the name of the program I did't think it was a CAISP "top up" or just intended for hog producers! I thought it was to combat all rising fert, fuel, and feed expenses! We all have these expenses not just hog producers. If all it is, is a caisp top up, why don't they just call it that? Not give EVERY farmer hope of some money to combat their rising costs as every farmer has them!

Sorry for the rant, just bugs me that they don't call a program what it actually is. If they just called it a caisp top up, I know I wouldn't care so much about it if I did't recieve it since caisp is totally unreliable in the first place!

[bombay_43]

I agree with you dfarm11! What this tells me is those who are on the "gravy train" remain on the gravy train. Many who do not make their main living off agriculture will continue to get government money. It does not seem to hit straight agriculture producers at all!

Those who can not get CAIS to work for us, no matter how we try, will get shut out of this program as well!

PLEASE: Axe ALL government programs to farmers and pay us a fair price for our products.

Those of us, who are living 100% off of agriculture, and can't get the CAIS program to pay us anything, are again being forced to compete with subsidies within our own communities!

We have to stop blaming our problems on European and US subsidies, and take a good hard look at what our own country is doing to us.

[frustrated1]

bombay?? You're stealing my thunder! I thought I was the best farmer in western Canada! ie: the only one, it seems, in this community doing too well in the eyes of the beauracracy to get a CAIS payment. At least, without one I get to keep. I had one but they want it all back plus administration. Wonder if they'll give me back the second mortgage I had to take in lieu of CAIS............. YES, I'M BITTER!!!