Agri-Environmental specialists look to help producers make beneficial changes to farmland

BMPs, or Beneficial Management Practices, are a variety of programs that the provincial government is encouraging to help producers.

Those can include infrastructure, land management, and other processes that help producers get the most out of their land.

To help with that, Agri-Environmental Specialists are available to advise farmers as to the best practices.

Keana Boere, one of those specialists, says that they focus on helping producers maintain stewardship over their land.

"Farm stewardship programs are one of the main programs that agri-environmental specialists support producers with. It provides farmers and ranchers with information and financial assistance to implement Beneficial management Practices in their operations. These BMPs can help enhance the resiliency of these farms and help enhance the agriculture industry in general."

Some of those BMPs include practices such as fencing projects, area grazing management, seeding permanent or native forages, targeted grazing or bio-control to protect species, relocation of livestock facilities to protect water sources, improving existing drainage work, and creating maps for fertilizer or irrigation application.

"These programs are a really good opportunity to enhance the sustainability and resiliency on your farms, and there's lots of funding available and lots of different projects and programs available," said Boere, "Just reach out to your Agri-Environmental Specialist and we'll be happy to help you."

Farmers who had previously applied for support can do so again, so long as they haven't reached the max payment of $10,000.

In order to be eligible for a BMP, farmers must:

be a Saskatchewan producer over the age of 18 or a First Nations of Saskatchewan member
demonstrate $50,000 of gross farm income
if raising livestock, must have a permit identification number

Most BMPs also require pre-approval, so it's recommended to get in touch with an Agri-Environmental Specialist for information and assistance related to the program.