Farmers’ deadline to apply for a share of $600 million in federal “Kickstart” funding for the new AgriInvest program has been extended from March 31 to April 14.
“This extension will ensure farmers have enough time to learn about AgriInvest and the money available to kickstart their accounts,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a release Wednesday.
Most farmers, the release noted, will not need to apply to the program and have already received a letter explaining their AgriInvest Kickstart benefit. However, those who haven’t received a letter need to apply by the April 14 deadline.
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Farmers can call 1-866-367-8506 (7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT) or visit the AgriInvest program web site to get program forms. Farmers in Quebec will need to contact La financiere agricole for that information.
Kickstart deposits to farmers’ AgriInvest accounts will be based on 2.63 per cent of a farmer’s average allowable net sales (ANS) from previous years, depending on how new they are to farming. Average ANS for Kickstart would be capped at $3 million, limiting the maximum Kickstart payment to $78,900.
A further final Kickstart deposit may follow, the government said previously, if funds remain after the first deposits are complete. Farmers won’t have to make matching deposits to get the Kickstart cash.
In a separate release, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture urged farmers to take advantage both of AgriInvest and the extended Kickstart deadline.
“This is the program farmers asked for, and I’m pleased the government is giving farmers every opportunity to participate,” said CFA president and Manitoba farmer Bob Friesen.
