The governments of Alberta and Canada are providing $165 million to support livestock producers affected by drought and extreme growing conditions. Applications for the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative open October 30.
To be eligible for the initiative, livestock producers must:
- Be located (livestock or residence) in specified municipalities
- Have altered their usual grazing practices due to drought conditions for more than 21 days in 2023
- Have incurred losses to manage and maintain female breeding animals such as cattle, bison, horses, elk, sheep, goats, alpacas, yak, musk ox, deer, water buffalo and llamas. A minimum of 15 animals per type of livestock are required to qualify.
Benefits will be based on a feed-need calculation for feed costs incurred resulting from lost grazing days for eligible breeding animals on hand as of December 31, 2023. Eligible producers could access up to $150 per head to help maintain the breeding herd in drought regions.
Read the release: Applications opening for livestock drought relief
Read the letter and fact sheet regarding the announcement of the 2023 Drought support for livestock producers.
Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership
Funding for this joint AgriRecovery initiative is cost-shared through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), with the federal government providing $99 million and Alberta’s government providing $66 million. Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) will administer the program.
Sustainable CAP is a five-year program, beginning this year, and includes a $3.5 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation and resiliency in the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This investment includes $1 billion in federal programs and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs funded 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially-territorially.
How to Apply
Applications for this initiative open Monday, October 30. Participants are strongly encouraged to apply online using AFSC Connect for faster service.
The AFSC Connect online application is an easy, system guided process. Applying online helps immediately identify errors or missing information. It also helps process your application faster. Please note that you will need to complete and submit your application in one session. Individuals who need assistance with applying should contact the AFSC Client Care Centre
1/ I’m new to AFSC. I do not have an AFSC ID number
If you are not currently an AFSC client, you will need to be set up as a AFSC client to receive an AFSC ID number. Please see the Getting Ready for AgriRecovery webpage to start the process.
2/ I have an AFSC ID number, but I do not have an AFSC Connect account
Producers who are current AFSC clients should ensure they have an AFSC Connect account and are signed up for direct deposit to receive program payments as quickly as possible.
- Instructions for creating an AFSC Connect account are available on the AFSC website How to Create, Login, and Update Your AFSC Connect Account.
- Instructions for setting up direct deposit for payments are also available on the AFSC website Receiving a Payment from AFSC by Direct Deposit
3/ I have an AFSC number and an AFSC Connect account
Producers who are current AFSC client and have an AFSC Connect account may want to try to log in to ensure they can access their account. If you are having issues logging in, please see Forgot your Password?
You may want to gather the following information:
- Premises ID number
- AgriStability subscription number
Producers who have participated in AgriStability or AgriRecovery previously will have an AgriStability subscription number. If you are unsure, please contact AFSC via Live Chat on AFSC Connect or our website, by calling the Client Care Centre at 1.877.899.2372 or contacting your preferred branch office. - The total number of eligible breeding livestock on hand (or projected to be on hand) as of December 31, 2023 that you made feeding decisions for from June 1, 2023 onward
Items of note:
- Applications must be filed in the name of the individual or business that owns the livestock for tax purposes. Please contact AFSC if this requires the creation of a new business entity
- Recent changes to business structure may mean that your information needs to be updated. Please contact AFSC if your business structure has changed recently.
- The application must be completed and submitted in one session.
AFSC is here to help. If you have any questions or concerns, please use Live Chat on AFSC onnect or our website, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call the Client Care Centre at 1.877.899.2372, or contact your preferred branch office.
AgriRecovery is a federal-provincial-territorial disaster relief framework to producers with the extraordinary costs associated with recovering from disaster situations. This program is not intended to cover income or production losses, recurring disaster events or replace the need for multi-year strategies to help industries adjust to long-term realities of a disaster. Eligible costs will be supported on the 60/40 federal/provincial cost-shared basis outlined under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.