GrainsWest Winter 2021

Winter 2021 Grains West 8 THE FARMGATE WITH THE INITIAL PROJECTS recently announced, the first agriculture industry-related elements of the Alberta Recovery Plan are now up and running. From investment in irrigation infrastruc- ture, to the opening of new international export offices, to new post-secondary research funding, the initiatives are intended to position agriculture and for- estry as a part of the solution to Alberta’s economic woes. “We’ve been rolling out several projects that invest in the future of agriculture in this province,” said Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (AF) Devin Dreeshen. “We’ve announced more than $1.4 billion in investment and have been working with 30 different companies to try and attract them to set up shop in Al- berta. We want to increase our processing and crushing capabilities, with a goal of 2,000 value-added jobs.” Premier Jason Kenney first announced the details of the Alberta Recovery Plan in April, and asked the Business Council of Alberta to establish sector-specific groups that would report back to the Premier’s Economic Recovery Council. The Agriculture and Forestry Economic Recovery Table was one piece of a mul- ti-sector response to help the province recover from the effects of the COVID-19 shutdown. The Table is composed of rep- resentatives from a variety of commodity groups as well as crop protection, farm machinery, marketing and ag retail or- ganizations. The working group produced a strategic action plan that has identified areas of potential revenue growth and job creation for both the agriculture and forestry sectors. “We initially met weekly during the spring and our meetings were focused at that point on a lot of unknowns,” said Tom Steve. General manager of the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, he also sits on the Economic Recovery Table. “Early on we didn’t know what the impact of COVID-19 was going to be on the ag and forestry sectors. We didn’t know if agriculture would be considered essential or if grain would be able to move.” As it became clear agriculture and forestry were considered essential on a AlbertaRecoveryPlangoes intoaction Agriculture sector designated a key component In early October 2020, Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen announced the launch of an irrigation initiative that is a key part of the province's economic recovery plan. Photo:CourtesyofAlbertaAgricultureandForestry