govt programs

[garthlow018]

My wife and I recently bought our first farm. It is both exciting and scary!

I am under the age of 35, and wanted to know if there are any govt programs available for new and / or beginner farmers like myself. I was told that this is a good chat forum to connect with other beef producers.

[tweaker101]

I had great success with the goverment programs that are out. Enviromental farm plan was a good one and verified beef was another, do some homework and you can find some deals and dont be affraid to do some paper work and attend a few classes or information meetings. Not sure were you are from but check with your locale provincial people...it was acutally fun getting money from the goverment..lol...good luck

[smcgrath76]

There are some programs out there that may be helpful. One is the Growing forward program that covers part of the costs associated with working chutes, etc. You must take the VBP course to qualify. It covers things like squeeze chutes, scales, etc.
Another is some of the environmental stewardship programs. They can cover 50% of things like portable windbreaks, riparian fencing, solar pumps, etc.
If you are a young farmer there are also programs available through AFSC in AB and FCC that have loans with a reduced interest rate, and loans that allow you to buy out older producers over time, etc.
Like most programs, my advice would be not to farm to the programs, but use them to do things that make business sense anyway. Be careful. A lot of times the red tape and the hassle is more of a PITA than just doing it yourself.

[15444]

Agree with Sean. The latest round of Growing Forward is more hassle than it is worth. The first round was straight forward, but they now require you to attend workshops to strengthen your application. The time wasted at these workshops is more important to me, so I am building my new corral facilities on my own dime.

[grassfarmer]

Actually you don't need to take the VBP course to apply for funding in Alberta anyway. You only need to start the process - do the online multiple choice test (which you get to keep trying until you get it right lol) After that you can apply for and get funding with no obligation to complete the VBP.

I don't believe this is a wise use of taxpayers money and am surprised at the naivety of the program.

[CowgirlJamie]

VBP is the Verified Beef Program right? How would I get signed up for that? It sounds like something that would be really beneficial for me. I don’t want to get wrapped up into too much paperwork, so I want to pick like two programs to apply for and go from there. I understand there are lots of buzz words that you need to use. Did you get anyone in your area to look over your application before you submit it?

[grassfarmer]

http://www.verifiedbeef.org/vbp_across_canada.htm

Find the workshop organizer in your area and tell them you want to do the online version of the workshop. You can be done in 45 minutes or less.

[comtex]

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