Alberta Budget 2019 cuts ag funds

[dmlfarmer]

[/QUOTE

As far as I am concerned they can cut AFSC funding to 0. Bunch of morons working there. Have no clue how agriculture works, drawing well into 6 figures, and don't know how to do their jobs properly. And when you call them on not knowing what they are doing, and prove it to them, they turn their backs and keep doing what they are doing. Useless, top heavy government corporation that should be closed down.[/QUOTE]

Fleabeetle: AFSC is the one department in AB ag that is getting an increase and funding to make more on farm calls. Lucky you!

[A990]

..here's the statement without commentary,



Following a review of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) office network, corporate operations and service delivery model, AFSC expects to reduce expenses by $5 .3 million by 2020-21 . Service delivery will be enhanced to include on-farm/site visits and improved online service delivery . This is in addition to their Client Service Center, real time chat line service and access to any branch in their network . A strategy has been developed to meet the evolving expectations of their clients . Additionally, through streamlined processes, automation, red tape reduction and elimination of unnecessary processes, AFSC expects to reduce discretionary administration expenses by a further $1 .6 million by fiscal 2020-21 .The ministry will also achieve savings of $34 .1 million over four years by transitioning to a framework of producer and industry-led research . The goal is to maintain research capacity in the most cost effective manner . Over the next several months, the department will work with farmers, producers and industry to determine their research priorities and build programs to support them . A review will be conducted to demonstrate how to focus research where needed at a lower cost .

[grassfarmer]

....As for the carbon tax, I had hoped Justin Trudeau would lose and it would be gone, now that we are apparently stuck with it I would prefer our own Alberta designed tax as opposed to one imposed by that phucknut Justin Trudeau.....

You already had one - Kenny took away the "made in AB" solution!

[dmlfarmer]

..here's the statement without commentary,



Following a review of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) office network, corporate operations and service delivery model, AFSC expects to reduce expenses by $5 .3 million by 2020-21 . Service delivery will be enhanced to include on-farm/site visits and improved online service delivery . This is in addition to their Client Service Center, real time chat line service and access to any branch in their network . A strategy has been developed to meet the evolving expectations of their clients . Additionally, through streamlined processes, automation, red tape reduction and elimination of unnecessary processes, AFSC expects to reduce discretionary administration expenses by a further $1 .6 million by fiscal 2020-21 .The ministry will also achieve savings of $34 .1 million over four years by transitioning to a framework of producer and industry-led research . The goal is to maintain research capacity in the most cost effective manner . Over the next several months, the department will work with farmers, producers and industry to determine their research priorities and build programs to support them . A review will be conducted to demonstrate how to focus research where needed at a lower cost .

And here are the actual bottom line budget numbers. AFSC has 2 divisions, lending and insurance. Note the budget for lending has increased and budget for insurance has decreased.
Fiscal Plan Tables
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - Operating Expense
(millions of dollars)
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
Actual Estimate Target Target Target
Operating Expense
Ministry Support Services 18 17 16 16 1 5
Rural Programming and Agricultural Societies 16 16 15 15 1 5
Processing, Trade and Intergovernmental Relations 64 34 30 28 2 7
Primary Agriculture 77 70 57 52 5 1
Lending 26 31 29 30 3 0
Insurance 433 404 401 401 4 01
Agriculture Income Support 89 89 89 89 8 9



unfortunately table will not copy properly but first number in each section is current spending, second is the budget amount for 2019-20, and the next three are projections for following 3 years.

[furrowtickler]

Amazing how on a late fall with weather coding in how some of you find so much time to search for all this . I guess some have SFA to do , maybe retired ?
You must be all done harvest DML , grain dried , equipment put away and sit on computer all day ? Good for you I guess
Every where I see here guys baling , harrowing, getting fertilizer on , trying to finish combining or busy as hell cleaning equipment and putting stuff away while the weather was good .

[Marusko]

As far as I am concerned they can cut AFSC funding to 0. Bunch of morons working there. Have no clue how agriculture works, drawing well into 6 figures, and don't know how to do their jobs properly. And when you call them on not knowing what they are doing, and prove it to them, they turn their backs and keep doing what they are doing. Useless, top heavy government corporation that should be closed down.

They are certainly frustrating to deal with. Very slow to process applications, ignoring the realities of farming sometimes, yet thinking they understand the farmer's needs better than the farmer does, weird little rules / red tape that have no apparent purpose. I will say though that, as a young farmer, no other lender comes even close to their interest rates for beginning farmers. I can say without a doubt that I'm much further ahead now than I would be through private lending.

Did you read the attached article? The cuts are primarily to ag research and ag extension, not to the bureaucracy. That's unfortunate because AB has some of the very best people in the country, and some of world standing, in areas I'm familiar with like forage research. This is the thinking that leads to your seed tax - Government get out of research, hand it to Corporate Ag then make farmers pay for it through a seed tax. Too bad partisan politics on Agriville influences the take on this story because this is clearly bad for farmers and bad for agriculture but you're happy to support it because it's a Conservative Government doing it. Talk about being your own worst enemy.

This, so much. I hope everyone can see past their political biases in the real world, and personal biases on this forum to see how true this is!

[flea beetle]

Maybe we just want to be left alone to do our own thing without someone watching over our shoulder. Supervision comes at a price. You assume every dollar is going to a producer and not a govt employee. There's plenty of deadweight pulling a pension and six figs.

#davidmaddox

[flea beetle]

They are certainly frustrating to deal with. Very slow to process applications, ignoring the realities of farming sometimes, yet thinking they understand the farmer's needs better than the farmer does, weird little rules / red tape that have no apparent purpose. I will say though that, as a young farmer, no other lender comes even close to their interest rates for beginning farmers. I can say without a doubt that I'm much further ahead now than I would be through private lending.



This, so much. I hope everyone can see past their political biases in the real world, and personal biases on this forum to see how true this is!

AFSC has double the staff that they used to in our home office, wages have more than doubled, acres have stayed the same, the number of applications has been cut in half (less farmers), and application processing times have doubled...what are they doing?

[GDR]

I had an application in since February for the FEAP program for some high efficiency waterers I have already bought. (Efficiency upgrades that the government cost shared) already got an email this am that says too bad program cancelled. Kinda dirty to cancel programs backwards.

[flea beetle]

[/QUOTE

As far as I am concerned they can cut AFSC funding to 0. Bunch of morons working there. Have no clue how agriculture works, drawing well into 6 figures, and don't know how to do their jobs properly. And when you call them on not knowing what they are doing, and prove it to them, they turn their backs and keep doing what they are doing. Useless, top heavy government corporation that should be closed down.

Fleabeetle: AFSC is the one department in AB ag that is getting an increase and funding to make more on farm calls. Lucky you![/QUOTE]

Just shows how out of touch government (any government) is with agriculture.