1975 - 1990
·
Pesticide container collection sites became common.
·
Blackfly program implemented in 1981, when blackflies were identified
as a serious threat to cattle.
1990 - 2009
·
Variety of special projects such as fumigation of straw bales, clubroot
awareness, etc.
·
Environmental projects
·
Sustainable agriculture initiatives including support for Environmental Farm
Plans and the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Program.
·
Monitoring for various pests such as Fusarium, clubroot and grasshoppers.
·
Begin transition from awareness of weeds to invasive species.
·
GPS mapping of spraying.
·
Implementation of a Wild Boar Program.
·
Awareness of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP)
Act. Municipalities reviewed the Acts they enforce in relation to this Act.
·
Age verification and premise identification
·
Cooperatively work with ARD to develop key contacts for all ASBs.
2010
·
Agricultural Service Board Grant and Alberta Environmentally Sustainable
Agriculture (AESA) Grant merged
·
Crowsnest Pass becomes the 70
th
ASB to join the program
Funding History
In 2003, ASBs and the AAMD&C submitted resolutions requesting “an increase in
the amount of the ASB grant funding.” To address the resolutions submitted by
ASBs and AAMD&C, and to meet the request by the Standing Policy Committee on
Agriculture and Municipal Affairs’, a review of the level of funding and the ASB
Program was undertaken by the Department of Agriculture. As a result of the
review, a 110% increase to the program budget was committed in 2005, bringing
the total ASB Program budget to $10.5 million. The following table compares the
support offered through the ASB grant at its inception in 1945, also in 1999 and
more recently in 2005.
1945
Funding
1999
Funding
2005
Funding
$14,000.00 budget
$5,000,000.00 budget
$10,500,000.00 budget
60%
provincial
21%
provincial (average)
60%
provincial
40%
municipal
79%
municipal (average)
40%
municipal
Maximum of $1,000 to
each board for basic
operating grant
Minimum of $44,000 to
each ASB for basic
operating grant
Minimum of $60,000 to
each ASB for basic
operating (requires
justification)
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