Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company Annual Report now available

August 28, 2008:

The 2007/08 Annual Report of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company (AEFP), the non-profit company set up to deliver the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program in the province, has been released. It provides a clear message that Alberta farmers and ranchers are adopting environmental change on their operations.

"The 2007/08 year saw more than1735 producers complete the two Environmental Farm Plan workshops and that translated into substantial on-farm environmental improvement," says Glenn Logan, AEFP chair. "We’re pleased that the EFP program in Alberta has seen such strong producer participation and increased stakeholder involvement.

The EFP program’s original goals were to be grassroots-driven, practical, based on a whole farm approach, collaborative, responsive, and built on industry partnerships. The latest Annual Report shows these goals have been met and that the program is flexible enough to adapt and meet the growing needs of farmers and ranchers.

From a management perspective, the EFP program was set up to create on-farm environmental awareness, educate producers on how to drive improvements on their own farms and ranches, and build an infrastructure by which to meet those goals into the future, says Mike Slomp, AEFP executive director.

"We made significant progress on those fronts over the 2007/08 year. We introduced a continuous improvement initiative, which included an updated version of the EFP workbook. We had a strong Annual General Meeting which featured addresses from both the federal minister of agriculture and the assistant deputy minister of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. As well, we have built an effective producer network."

Glenn Logan says AEFP remains confident that the progress the EFP program has made over the past several years will serve as a valuable anchor to a new generation of on-farm environmental sustainability efforts in Alberta.

"We look forward to building on that foundation in a continuing effort to serve the needs of Alberta’s producers," he says.

More information on the EFP program, including the 2007/08 Annual Report, is available on the AEFP Web site at www.AlbertaEFP.com. In addition, a complete list of workshop supporters, which has been featured in past Annual Reports, is also available on the Web site by clicking "The Company" followed by "Partners and Members."

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has provided major funding and technical support to the EFP program in Alberta, with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development providing additional in-kind support services to help the agricultural sector develop and implement EFPs. Support has also been provided by the Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta, through the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Initiative, the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Council (AESA) Program and various ministries of the Government of Alberta.