The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is pleased with the changes the federal government has made to the Livestock Tax Deferral (LTD) program.
Changes included adding a buffer zone to tthe LTD designated regions and RM's to ensure impacted producers will be eligible.
This year's program includes some areas in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with the majority of Alberta listed under the program.
Doug Roxburgh is a CCA director and vice-chair of Alberta Beef with a cow-calf operation at Rimbey.
He says the CCA has been pushing the federal government for a long time to have the program more accessible for producers.
"We've seen producers have to sell off substantial portions of their herd and by allowing them to defer that tax for the year or multiple years now with the way the program is set up, giving them the ability to kind of allow them to start to stockpile some winter forage."
The CCA says the changes the government has implemented demonstrate that they heard the concerns of beef producers.
They note that the buffer zones are a positive first step towards a more timely and more flexible response in building resilience to extreme weather events such as droughts or floods.
Roxburgh says if we start seeing more consistency and moisture I know a lot of these producers are going to start to see that money that they've been able to defer reinvested back into their operation and building their herds back up.
The CCA looks forward to hearing about next steps in regards to implementing this critical program and will work with beef producers to promote and utilize this program fully.
To hear Glenda-Lee's conversation with CCA Director Doug Roxburgh click on the link below.