June 6, 2011

Tax Relief for Fire Destroyed Residences in Slave Lake and “We want to make the re-entry, and ultimately the rebuilding Area process for the community of Slave Lake and surrounding The government announced continued support so areas is as smooth as possible,” said Agriculture and Rural residents and business owners in Slave Lake can start the Development Minister . “These loans will help rebuilding process. This relief is part of the $50 million businesses access the necessary capital to rebuild facilities and allocated to the immediate needs of the evacuees that was replace equipment, inventory and working capital.” announced last week by Premier . For residents Cont’d on page 2 with destroyed property, their property taxes will be paid by the government for the 2011 tax year. “By taking care of the property taxes for one year, we're helping the hardest hit residents gain some peace of mind and helping This Week to reduce the stress associated with starting over,” said Municipal Affairs Minister . “At the same time, Tax Relief for Fire Destroyed Residences in this will alleviate the financial burden of lost tax revenues on Slave Lake and Area 1 the municipalities and free up resources for rebuilding.” Additionally, the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation New Format Makes Alberta Management (AFSC), through the Commercial and Value-Added and Insights Easier to Use 2 Agribusiness loan programs, will offer disaster assistance to all Farmers’ Advocate Jim Kiss Bids Farewell 2 affected commercial businesses. • Eligible applicants are limited to businesses in the Machinery Cost Calculator 3 mandatory evacuation area Funding to Help Connect and Diversify • Maximum loan amount of $5 million Rural Communities 3 • 24-month interest and payment free following first loan advance Agri-News Briefs 4 • Following interest free period regular loan terms of interest and repayment will commence • Application/amendment/security fees will be waived • 18 months to apply beginning June 1, 2011 • Applicants will still be required to meet regular loan eligibility requirements for security and viability • Specific information is available at www.afsc.ca June 6, 2011 – page 2

In addition to the more than 350 homes destroyed by wildfires, The yields presented in the AMI reports are gross yield reported the insurance industry has estimated that approximately 20 by the insured producer and are not adjusted for quality. per cent of the 250 commercial businesses have been affected. Quality can be an important consideration as poor quality may Alberta Finance and Enterprise and AFSC will have staff on be heavily discounted by the market. It is also important to hand at the Slave Lake Community Social Centre in the coming consider the year and the conditions when comparing crop days to provide on-site assistance and advice on getting their variety performance in an area. businesses back in operation. Businesses are encouraged to View the latest data for the AMI reports at register with staff at the centre and share their labour and www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app96/loadrptinput back-to-business needs. Contact: Curtis Boyd Business owners may contact the Business Link toll-free at 403-782-8288 1-800-272-9675 or the AFSC Falher office at 780-837-2521 for information, business advice, and other services including temporary space, internet, phone and fax services. Specific information is also available at: www.canadabusiness.ab.ca/ Farmers’ Advocate Jim Kiss index.php/component/content/article/11-operations/571-slave- lake-help-information Bids Farewell Contact: Donna Babchishin After six and a half years as the Farmers’ Advocate for the Municipal Affairs Communications province of Alberta, Jim Kiss has decided to seek new 780-619-9523 challenges and opportunities. Jim was appointed Advocate in 2004, after nearly 15 years in political service to various Mark Caveny provincial Cabinet Ministers and as Premier Klein’s Deputy Manager, Lending AFSC Chief of Staff. 780-617-7227 “I am very proud of the Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) team of dedicated individuals that work for rural Albertans each and every day,” says Kiss. “They do a tremendous job providing New Format Makes Alberta information, advice, opinion, suggestions and generally helping folks understand their rights and what they can do to resolve Management Insights Easier to their disputes.” Use During his time as Farmers’ Advocate, Kiss wanted to promote a more proactive and progressive approach to help rural To make the Alberta Management Insights (AMI) information Albertans prepare and plan for issues that they may face. He easier for Albertans to access and use, the reporting interface directed an aggressive reorganization of the office and was changed and is now available in a new dynamic, responsive structured the FAO services into three main areas, rural operational format. The information contained on the AMI opportunities, rural consumer protection and fair process. webpage is based on data collected by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) from approximately 12,000 By championing projects such as the Pricing Transparency, Kiss insured producers in the province. helped landowners level the playing field with energy industry land agents in negotiating surface compensation. There was an “The data was completely replaced, and there are now many emphasis placed on mediation services, and many FAO staff more datum for various areas of the province than before,” took mediation training and worked towards becoming says Curtis Boyd, policy analyst with AFSC. “Once a producer accredited mediators. Kiss was successful in gaining Growing enters the legal land description, soil zone and risk area Forward funding for the rural umpire network pilot project, information comes up. From there, easy to read and use where rural Albertans facing a dispute could potentially seek reports can be viewed on the seeding summary, top yielding the services of a trained mediator to resolve their differences. crop varieties and variety comparison in that particular risk area.” “Emotion is your number one enemy when you are facing a potential dispute or negotiation,” says Kiss. “The more At least five producers must have insured a variety in an area proactive you can be in providing sound rationale and for the information to be included in the AMI report. If no supporting data to your position, ensuring it is full of fact and entries display in any columns, then there were not five assumption versus emotion, the more favourable the position producers reporting yields for that specific category in that you put yourself in to accomplish your goals.” area. The variety comparison displays results based on a selected township and expands outwards to a 25 township area Cont’d on page 3 (the selected township in the middle). June 6, 2011 – page 3

The FAO worked hard to streamline the Farm Implement example, the residual value is set at 50 per cent of the initial Administration and ensure purchasers of farm implements value but it can be over-riden. The repair rate is set at an received good consumer protection. The FAO saw an increase industry standard of three per cent of initial price for power in licensed dealers, distributors and manufactures from equipment, two per cent for trucks and two to six per cent for approximately 350 in 2005 to over 500 in 2011. implements, but these can be changed to reflect higher repair Kiss spent considerable time as advocate connecting with rural costs.” Albertans and visiting them in their communities. “I logged This calculator tool is useful in determining the machinery just about 50,000 kms a year going to stakeholder meetings, costs involved with a change in acreage or change in equipment visiting with individuals and hearing their issues and concerns. size. It does provide data for the development of partial budgets It was kind of like that song, ‘I’ve been everywhere’… ” and other management decisions. The calculator can also help When asked for any closing thoughts, Kiss stated, “Rural in determining the working capacity of various implements. Albertans are practical folks. They are fiercely independent, However, its main use has been to determine custom rates. proud of their community and way of life, loyal to family and “It is possible to develop ‘what if’ scenarios using this friends and have a good perspective on values of right and calculator,” says Nibourg. “By changing the value of specific wrong. These are the type of folks we should listen to and learn variables, different scenarios can be compared. The print from as we consider issues and develop policy. function allows you to create a hard copy for comparison “I want to thank the people of Alberta for engaging with me in purposes and can help you develop strategies to better manage thoughtful discussion. I want to thank Hon. who your farm. One note of caution, if you are using a zero value in was the Minister of Agriculture who first appointed me, and for any of your comparisons do not leave the cell blank, but put a the subsequent Ministers and Jack Hayden zero (0) character in the cell. The calculator uses a Java script who allowed me to serve and supported the activities of the and the program does not like blanks. An example would be FAO. I will continue to support rural Alberta and continue to be where you might want to develop a dry rate (no fuel included) proud of this province and of the people here.” for custom combine work. Use the zero character in the fuel cost cell to calculate this scenario.” Contact: Farmers’ Advocate Office 310-FARM (3276) If you have any questions about the Machinery Cost Calculator, call the Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276). Contact: Ted Nibourg 310-FARM (3276) Machinery Cost Calculator Using custom rates can give producers a guideline that can be used when calculating what some required custom work will cost and or what to charge if asked to do some custom work for Funding to Help Connect and neighbours. There is a range in custom rates as custom Diversify Rural Communities operators are surveyed annually to determine the rates they charge, and these reported rates vary considerably due to The Alberta government has approved 28 new projects that will economies of scale. Survey results are typically filtered to allow create economic opportunities and improve access to high- for a most common reported range that still can show a 20 to speed broadband services in rural communities. 25 per cent variation. The $3.9 million investment completes a three-year funding “Producers who are asked to do some custom work for initiative through the Rural Community Adaptation Grant neighbours will often use the custom rate survey summary as Program and the Rural Connections: Community Broadband a guide; however, there are times when they would like a rate Infrastructure pilot program. Funding for both programs was that reflects their own situation,” says Ted Nibourg, farm made available through the Government of Canada’s business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Community Development Trust Fund to help provinces and Rural Development. “This is where the Machinery Cost territories assist communities, organizations and workers move Calculator comes in. towards great economic sustainability. “The Calculator can be found on the Alberta Agriculture website Since 2008/09, the Rural Community Adaptation Grant under Decision Making Tools. The ‘Help’ icon in the top left Program has provided $13.6 million to 67 projects to help corner can assist you in getting started. This calculator is a rural communities adapt to changing economic circumstances. web-based tool that is populated with default values that can be New projects receiving assistance include: customized. Some of the default values are actually calculated • the Vulcan Business Development Society will use a values based on the initial price of the equipment. For $144,000 grant to develop and implement a branding and marketing strategy for the region Cont’d on page 4 June 6, 2011 – page 4

• a $250,000 grant will enable the Whitefish Lake Band #128 • a $115,600 grant will assist the Municipal District of Willow to further develop their business and human resource plan Creek No. 26 with an expanded wireless broadband network • the Village of Foremost received $250,000 to plan and to areas in the southwest region of the Municipal District advance the Unmanned Air Systems Training and • Lac Ste. Anne County received $460,440 to support the Development Centre in the region development and construction of a wireless broadband Under the Rural Connections: Community Broadband network to provide coverage to areas of the County around Infrastructure Pilot Program, priority was given to community- the Cherhill and Rochford Bridge region led broadband infrastructure projects where rural Albertans Descriptions of all approved projects for the Rural Community have limited or no access to broadband connectivity. Since Adaptation Grant Program and the Rural Connections: 2008/09, this program has provided $10.4 million to 34 Community Broadband Infrastructure Pilot Program are projects connecting more rural communities to high-speed available at www.rural.alberta.ca or by calling 780-427-2409. internet. New projects receiving assistance include: Contact: Drew Hiltz • the Round Hill & District Agricultural Society received a Agriculture and Rural Development $135,570 grant to develop and construct a wireless Rural Development Division broadband infrastructure network in Round Hill and the 780-643-1830 regions north of Gwynne and south of Miquelon Lake

Agri-News Briefs

Alberta Mandatory Chronic Wasting Using Cover Crops for Weed Disease Surveillance Program Management in Field Vegetable The Alberta Mandatory Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Crops Surveillance Program requires CWD testing of all cervids one A new sustainable crop protection factsheet is now available year-of-age and older that die from any cause. This program from the Pest Management Centre’s pesticide risk reduction was instituted in 2002 at the request of Alberta’s farmed cervid program. To view the electronic version of this factsheet, visit industry, and is maintained by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s website at Development. For more information regarding the details of www.agr.gc.ca/index_e.php click on the Pest Management the program, visit Alberta Agriculture’s website at Centre link or type ‘field vegetable production: using cover www.agriculture.alberta.ca and type chronic wasting disease crops for week management’ in the search field. surveillance in the search field, and click on the link to this program.

Canada-China Agriculture and Food Development Exchange Centre The Canada-China Agriculture and Food Development Exchange Centre (CCAgr) has started producing a bi-weekly newsletter to provide readers with new and exciting information pertaining to CCAgr projects and activities. To link to the May 26 e-newsletter, visit the CCAgr site at www.ccagr.com/