Farmers in Nova Scotia facing rising prices for diesel fuel will see more funding via the Limestone Trucking Assistance Program (LTAP), which is expected to help offset some of those increased costs.
“After touring multiple farms around the province to hear from farmers and meeting this morning with farmer Tim Marsh at the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, I am acting to help farmers struggling with rising diesel costs,” provincial Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow said in a release May 25.
The government is adding $200,000 to LTAP, bringing its total funding for the program to $550,000. Farmers have to apply to the program online and provide receipts in order to be reimbursed, for up to $32,000 per year per applicant.
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Limestone is an essential component for most farmers in the Maritime provinces because the soil’s acidity is naturally higher, so it must be amended to counteract and neutralize that low soil pH.
Also, NSAF president Marsh notes, growers in the region receive more acid rain.
While Marsh is happy more money is being put into LTAP, he’s still concerned with cash flow for farmers.
“My biggest concern is firm cash flow because farmers still have to go and buy the stuff to begin with,” he said. “And I’m hearing stories that guys are cutting back on their inputs because they just don’t have the cash flow to buy everything they should have, and so, that makes me worried.”
In 2021, 143 farmers applied for assistance from LTAP.
— Liam O’Connor reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Saskatoon.
