Hay Day was early
On the lookout for drosophila
But ‘haying’ day was another matter » PG 8
Bug could damage bumper berry crop » PG 19
SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 74, No. 29 | $1.75
July 21, 2016
Industry gives Eichler a wish list
manitobacooperator.ca
The ALUS program may come back to life in Manitoba
Public trust and trade rank high on the list of important issues for the province’s agriculture sector
The new government looks to follow through on its promise to implement the program province-wide
BY SHANNON VANRAES Co-operator staff/Portage la Prairie
They hailed from commodity groups, producer lobby groups, research institutions and agribusinesses, and they came together here last week with the aim of directing and informing Manitoba’s new Progressive Conservative government on agriculture issues. “This is going to be where your role is going to be very important,” Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler told more than 100 people gathered for the day-long agricultural industry consultation. “These comments are all going to be recorded and I take them all very seriously.” He added criticism was welcome as well, stressing that creating a robust dialogue was the first step in fulfilling his mandate. “People want to be heard, they want to have the ability to be able to say, ‘I talked to the minister about this,’” Eichler said. “So again, it comes back to that conversation.” Last week’s consultation was the second held by the Tory government since coming to power See Eichler on page 6 »
Lara Ellis (l to r), director of strategic initiatives with ALUS Canada, James Battershill, KAP general manager, Dan Mazier, KAP president. Photo: JENNIFER PAIGE
BY JENNIFER PAIGE with files from SHANNON VANRAES Co-operator staff / Brandon
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T
he provincial government says it supports a revived ecological goods and services program but it’s not certain who will foot the bill. “The government has made this a priority and the minister of agriculture and the minister of sustainable development have been mandated with creating a program based on the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) model to help reduce flooding and improve water quality and nutrient management,” Brandon West MLA Reg Helwer told the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) summer advisory meeting here last week. ALUS would compensate farmers for providing ecological goods and services
such as holding back water or maintaining wildlife habitat. Before being elected earlier this year, the Progressive Conservatives promised to implement ALUS province-wide. Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler says this remains a top priority. “My first goal is to get through this with our federal-provincial meeting, the second goal would then be to start reducing our red tape and then the third mandate would be the ALUS program,” Eichler said following an industry consultation session in Portage la Prairie on July 12. One of the original ALUS architects is Ian Wishart, formerly KAP president and now minister of education. Another is Jonathan Scarth, former senior vice-president of Delta Waterfowl Foundation and now principal secretary to Premier Brian Pallister. The first ALUS pilot project in the RM
of Blanchard expired in 2008 and none have been implemented in Manitoba since. ALUS now has a national office with staff and a board of directors, and several projects have been started in six other provinces. KAP was a key partner in the Blanchard project and asked an ALUS representative for an update at last week’s meeting. “Up until recently the prevalent thinking has been that the cost of ecosystem services on private land should be borne by the landowner, but as environmental land degradation worsens, this is changing,” said Lara Ellis, director of strategic initiatives with ALUS Canada. “The vision of ALUS is to create a healthy landscape that sustains agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces for all Canadians.” See ALUS on page 6 »
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