Alberta’s farm community has moved more than 1,500 steps closer to enhanced environmental stewardship since April 2003. That’s the number of farm units that have taken part in a free, confidential, risk assessment workshop offered by the non-profit Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company (AEFP) in their second year of providing services.
Since the program started, more than 300 Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) workshops have been held across the province. Trained facilitators with farming backgrounds lead the sessions in which participants work through a comprehensive workbook. After the first of the two program workshops, participants go back to their farms or ranches and assess their environmental risks and opportunities. They then attend the second workshop to create a plan of action to enhance their operations.
“EFPs are beneficial for farmers in their day-to-day management and it’s also a good way for the industry to show the public it cares about stewardship of Alberta’s land and resources,” explains Mike Slomp, the company’s executive director.
Bill Fox, an Elk Point area farmer who participated in EFP workshops held in the Municipal District of Bonnyville, says the program gives farmers a lot to think about. “The EFP workbook has a lot of ideas for being better managers of the land and it was good to be in the workshops with other local farmers and bounce ideas off one another.”
Fox, who has been raising cattle, grain and hay for 40 years adds, “I think most farmers are already doing most things right, but if you make even a few little changes in your operation because of the EFP program, by the end of the day, you’ve made a noticeable improvement.”
Slomp is optimistic about the future of the program. “Based on the great response and commitment of producers this past year, we hope to have another 2,000 farm units participate in the program by March 2005,” he says. “Plans are well underway to conduct another round of free, confidential workshops in every corner of the province beginning later this fall.”
Through the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF), the Government of Canada will invest $48.8 million in Alberta, with the provincial government providing an additional $32.6 million of in-kind support services to help the agricultural sector develop and implement environmental farm plans. The APF is an agreement among the federal, provincial and territorial governments to position Canada as the world leader in environmentally responsible agricultural production.
Additional support has been provided by the Agriculture and Food Council, through the Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Initiative; the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Council and various ministries of the Government of Alberta. Contributions have also come from more than 100 local municipalities, businesses and agricultural organizations.
For more information on the EFP program and upcoming workshops in your area, please contact the County Office.