The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture will have a budget of $391.3 million in 2019-20.
More than two thirds ($271.9 million) goes to fund business risk management programs, such as Crop Insurance, AgriStability, AgriInvest and Western Livestock Price Insurance.
There are a number of enhancements to the Crop Insurance program, which were announced late last month.
After strong lobbying by rural municipalities, the provincial government reversed most of the previous cuts made to rat control. Funding moves to $1.25 million, after being reduced to $900,000 last year. It had previously been $1.4 million per year.
There was also nearly $32 million for agricultural research projects, demonstration and adoption of new technologies.
“If we want to attract top researchers from around the world to come to this province, we have to make a commitment to them too,” says Agriculture Minister David Marit. “This research doesn’t happen over one, two, three or four years. This stuff goes on six, seven, eight, nine, ten years.”
Some farmers volunteer in their local communities as firefighters or first responders. They will be eligible for a $3,000 tax credit after posting more than 200 hours of service in a year.
“They do that on their own,” says Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. “Sometimes they put their own lives in danger dealing with accidents and fires. This is an incentive and a way of thanking people for the work they do for their local community.”
There were no changes to the provincial sales tax (PST) or education property tax rates.
(Above picture: Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit)