Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has extended the application deadline for its 2007 cover crop protection program to June 30, 2008.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, whose department operates the CCPP in all provinces through its Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), said the government “wants to ensure that all eligible farmers have access to the financial assistance required to restore their flood-damaged cropland.”
The original 2007 program deadline was Oct. 31, 2007.
Farmers who filed late applications for CCPP assistance in 2007 will not need to re-submit a declaration, the government noted in a release Tuesday.
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Weak demand continues to hamper prices for feed barley and wheat, said Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge.
Furthermore, the deadline to apply for the 2008 CCPP has been set at Nov. 30, 2008, and it will remain at Nov. 30 each year from now on, a government spokesperson said.
The CCPP is a $140 million program intended to help those farmers enrolled in provincial production insurance programs offset the costs of repairing damage to productive farmland.
Farmers can also help reduce soil erosion and related damages due to spring flooding or excessive moisture through the CCPP, the government said.
Farmers enrolled in production insurance programs will be sent a declaration form by registered mail, along with additional details about program eligibility. The government earlier revised the 2007 program to require that farmers had to enrol in a provincial production insurance program to be eligible for CCPP funds.
Applicants can also call the ag department’s toll-free line (1-800-667-8567) to see about their eligibility.
