2022 CCA AGM: Domestic Ag report

The Domestic Ag Policy and Regulations Committee has been very busy on many fronts. 
​
The major topics that were discussed were in the BRM (Business Risk Management) portfolio.

• Government officials are investigating the development of a revenue product that would enable producers to insure both price and product. It is unlikely to be ready for deployment under the next policy framework.


• While opposed to adding additional complexity to the BRM suite, producers stressed the importance of utilizing programs such as VBP+ or the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program in the event governments were to introduce environmental cross compliance measures to the BRM program suite.

 

• Agri Stability, discussions were held on steps to simplify the program. Also to expand on the actual or calculated expenses would enable farms with wider margins to access the program.

 

• Tax Deferral options including changing the approach to granting tax deferrals including allowing all classes of animals to qualify

 

• Livestock Price Insurance has been a hot topic and delays in the roll out for the Maritime program have potentially pushed the project back until 2023. On the national level we need to reduce the premium cost. It is too prohibitive at the moment and is one of the reasons we are seeing reduced uptake. This file is highly important and needs to be pushed forward, and it is important for producers like ourselves to reinforce this with our provincial governments.

 
Another major topic which is very important to the overall beef industry in our country are Forage insurance programs. At the moment there are three forage insurance projects underway that would use satellite imagery.

• Dymac Risk Management Solutions is leading the CCA sponsored project which has been ongoing for three years and concludes in March 2023.

 

• Global Ag Risk Solutions is working on a project, however more government funding will be required to advance this project.

 

• Government of Manitoba is funding two year project by AIRM’s Consulting LTD. This is a proprietary software to support improved forage insurance products, which is also sponsored by Manitoba Dairy Farmers. This project also concludes in March 2023.

 
These three projects focus on native and tame pastures. It is unclear at this time how hay crops can be addressed.
However, an important step has been made in the fact the feasibility of using satellite based imagery in enabling farm/ranch specific forage insurance has been established.​

- YCC President & Member at Large, Carley Henniger

- YCC Vice President & Alberta Delegate, Martin Clausen