New publication from Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company

January 16, 2006:

A new publication available free of charge to Alberta producers provides an overview of the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program in Alberta and an easily scanned snapshot of the resources available.

The publication is a special print version of the AEFP Journal, a Web-based magazine that offers producers success stories, EFP program information and links to resources. The AEFP Journal Web magazine is updated throughout the year and is also available free of charge at the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company (AEFP) Web site, www.AlbertaEFP.com.

"The AEFP Journal is designed to provide producers with information of value that they can use on their operations," says Mike Slomp, executive director of AEFP, which delivers the EFP program in the province.

"Although developing an EFP, a self-assessment of a farm’s environmental strengths and weaknesses, is a relatively simple process, many producers find developing an EFP helps them learn about their operations and themselves. We want the AEFP Journal to be an anchor resource for producers at all stages of the EFP process."

The four-page 2007 print edition of the AEFP Journal acts as both an introduction to the Web magazine and, in a broader sense, the EFP program itself. It’s essentially a one-stop resource for the who, what, where, when and why of the EFP program.

It also offers information on funding support such as the Canada-Alberta Farm Stewardship Program (CAFSP), which offers producers who have completed an EFP up to $50,000 for a wide range of on-farm environmental improvements.

The AEFP Journal print edition is available through AEFP regional facilitators, at AEFP trade show booths, the AEFP Web site, or by calling the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company office in Edmonton toll-free at 1-866-844-2337.

AEFP was established in 2002 as an industry-run, non-profit corporation that delivers EFP services to Alberta farmers. Through the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF), the Government of Canada provides major funding to the EFP program in Alberta, with the Government of Alberta providing additional in-kind support services to help the agricultural sector develop and implement EFPs.

Additional support has been provided by the Agriculture and Food Council, through the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Initiative, the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Council (AESA) and various ministries of the Government of Alberta. Contributions have also come from more than 100 local municipalities, businesses and agricultural organizations.