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This year, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Youth Employment and Skills program will help fund approximately 2000 agricultural positions for Canadian youth aged 15-30.

As an employer, you can receive 50% of total eligible costs of hiring a Canadian youth - up to $14,000 for positions in agriculture, agri-food, agri-science or veterinary medicine. This support can cover the period from April 15, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Eligible employers are:

• agribusinesses including farms and food production facilities
• research institutions
• farm organizations
• universities and colleges
• provincial and municipal governments

Applications from employers will be accepted on a first come first served basis.

Learn more or apply here

Sheep Supply for month ending February 2021.

The wool market continues to struggle in 2021 due to the ongoing effects of the global Covid pandemic. Fine wools have made better recovery progress but marketing broader wool types can be a challenge, particularly for grades containing high vegetable matter and with low yields or poor colour.  There is a surplus of unsold coarser wool types in every wool producing country in the world with a new clip coming to market.  This is mainly due to the China / USA trade conflict in 2019 and then followed by Covid-19 which has had a dramatic impact on wool demand from March 2020 onwards.  However, we are seeing some signs of improvement which is encouraging.
The entire global textile chain has been impacted for various reasons, some of which are as follows.

ALP Needs You!

Join the ALP Board of Directors – Fall 2021!

*Nominations are due by July 31, 2021*

Five Director-at-Large positions on the ALP Board will be up for election this fall. 

Alberta Lamb Producers is the voice of producers in discussions with industry stakeholders and government.  ALP needs a strong Board of Directors to ensure the interests of producers are represented, viable marketing opportunities are developed, and that check-off dollars are spent wisely. 

To stand for election, you MUST submit a completed nomination form to the ALP office by July 31, 2021. 

ALP Director Nomination Form 2021-22

ALP Director Description

 There are Five Director-at-Large positions open on the 2021/22 Board.  Candidates can be nominated from any region in the province - there no restrictions due to zone or geographical location.

The official ballots for the 2021 ALP Director’s election will be mailed with the fall issue of N’ewesletter.  Producers have the option of advance voting by mailing the ballot to the ALP office or of voting in-person at the AGM on November 20^th at Old College (depending where we are at with the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions and group gatherings, please be aware that this could be changed to a virtual format closer to the event date).

What do you need to serve on the ALP Board as a Director?

• No previous board experience is required.
• Must be an eligible sheep producer residing in Alberta (Eligible producers must have paid service charge (check-off) to ALP within the last two years i.e. after Sep 1, 2019).
• Enthusiasm, ideas and a vision for building a strong lamb industry.
• A commitment to collaboration and the ability to work with other board members for the benefit of the industry.
• Ability to make the minimum commitment of 3-4 in-person board meetings, bi-weekly conference calls, and the ability to monitor and respond to emails at least every 48 hours. Per diems and expense reimbursements are provided.

It’s not all work!  In addition to contributing to the industry, serving on the Board gives you opportunities for personal growth and skills development, such as making important industry contacts, and obtaining experience in board governance, leadership and project management.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Young Agrarians Releases Free Guide Assisting Farmers Seeking Land in Alberta

The Alberta Land Access Guide is a toolkit built by a team of experts and experienced farmers to help new farmers navigate their land search.

 
[ALBERTA, Mar 24, 2021]—Young Agrarians (YA), a farmer-to-farmer educational resource network for new and young regenerative farmers, announced the release of the first edition of the Alberta Land Access Guide this week.

The YA network includes a large range of farmers and food growers who share the goal of growing food sustainably and revitalizing local food systems for the future. The Alberta Land Access Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource, recognizing the challenging and intimidating process of finding land as a new farmer. It takes land seekers through the step-by-step process of accessing and evaluating land. It also provides insight to landowners looking for someone to come and farm their land.

As we approach the post-pandemic reopening of Canadian businesses, the time seemed right to begin what all intend to be a successful, growing collaboration between provincial associations and their collective members. 

On March 18, the board of directors of three provinces, (Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec) met in an inaugural townhall to discuss issues of mutual interest and to consider opportunities for enhanced collaboration.

View the report here

Read the media release here

At the December National Sheep Network meeting, Ryan Greir from the Alberta Lamb Producers was acclaimed chair for his second term, and Pierre Lessard from Les Eleveurs d’ovins du Quebec was acclaimed as vice chair.

In March, the NSN held the first ever all directors meeting. All members from each of the provincial boards met for an initial discussion geared at building stronger relationships between the participating organizations and to enhance effectiveness through thoughtful collaboration. A summary report of this meeting will be circulated shortly.

‘The estimated market price for a 120 lb. Alberta market lamb trended above the 5-year average for most of 2020,’ says Jason Wood, provincial livestock market analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

In the last quarter of 2020, October to December, the Alberta market lamb price increased 18%. In the first part of 2021, the estimated price for a 120 lb. market lamb averaged $280 per head ($2.33 per lb.), 14% higher than in 2020 and 25% higher than the 5-year average.

Read the full article