Budget Demonstrates Strong Commitment to Agriculture

This year’s Agriculture Budget is $462.4 million, a 19.5 per cent increase from the previous year that is driven by a strong 2022-23 Crop Insurance Program and record agriculture research funding.

The budget includes $338.5 million to fund a suite of business risk management programming, including Crop Insurance, AgriStability, AgriInvest and Livestock Price Insurance. More than $250 million is budgeted for Crop Insurance. Average coverage will reach a record level of $405 per acre this year, due to higher commodity prices and increased yield coverage.

“This is a dynamic industry that helps to feed the world, as demonstrated by record agri-food exports of $17.5 billion in 2021, with enormous potential on the value-added front as we develop irrigated acres and welcome investment in canola crush facilities here in Saskatchewan,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said. “This year’s budget will help supply the industry the tools needed to move through current challenges, such as continued dry conditions, while positioning producers for long-term growth and success.”

Effective April 1, 2022, a number of clarifications are being made to Provincial Sales Tax (PST) related to farming and agriculture activities, including establishing the exemption for the on-farm digging of dugouts, among other activities.  

Agricultural research funding in 2022-23 is a record $33.8 million. This includes $2.0 million in new funding for the Global Institute for Food Security to define, accelerate and communicate the agriculture sector’s contributions to improved environmental outcomes.

The government also continues to invest $31.8 million in agricultural research as part of the $71.2 million annual commitment to strategic programs under the five-year federal-provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) agreement.

CAP also funds priority areas such as value-added agriculture, market expansion, public trust and environmental stewardship and rural water development. This includes the Farm Ranch Water Infrastructure program, under which the maximum rebate for livestock producers is temporarily increased. Livestock producers who want to access the enhanced funding for an agricultural water project have until March 31, 2022, to submit a preliminary application, with projects to be completed by September 30, 2022.

Again this year, $2.5 million of additional provincial support is being provided for irrigation development to help producers develop irrigation infrastructure projects.

The 2022-23 budget provides $1.6 million to Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS) for sustainable animal welfare enforcement in the province. This is an increase of $800,000 from the previous year’s budgeted amount and it will enable the organization to expand its effective services to include the City of Saskatoon.

APSS, City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Police Service are collaborating to provide enforcement in Saskatoon as of April 1, as APSS ramps up to take over full enforcement by the fall.

“We appreciate the work of Saskatoon SPCA and Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan in support of the humane treatment and well-being of animals and will continue to work with all parties in this transition of animal welfare enforcement duties,” Marit said.

Agriculture is at the center of several 2030 Growth Plan goals, including growing crop production to 45 million tonnes, increasing livestock receipts to $3 billion, increasing value-added revenue to $10 billion and growing agri-food exports to $20 billion.