Applications are now open for the 2023 Canada – Saskatchewan Livestock Feed Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to provide compensation for 70 percent of extraordinary expenses related to maintenance of breeding livestock due to lost pasture and feed days caused by drought conditions and pest outbreaks in 2023. Examples of extraordinary expenses include (starting May 1, 2023):

• purchased feed above historical quantities
• transportation costs for hauling feed to the breeding animals or self-hauling of feed
• transportation costs for hauling breeding animals to feed or self-hauling of breeding animals to feed
• custom feeding arrangements or alternative grazing arrangements for eligible animals

Eligible producers must have lost a minimum of 25 feed days.

Applications can be made online or by paper application. Applications are available from Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) https://www.scic.ca/2023-canada-saskatchewan-feed-program.

The deadline for applications is March 1, 2024.

Under the program producers are eligible for an initial payment of up to $150 per eligible breeding female and males of the reproductive age of the species owned inventory as of August 21, 2023 and intended to be kept through to January 31, 2024. Producers must be within the map guided by the Canadian Drought Monitor D2 Drought Area https://www.scic.ca/2023-canada-saskatchewan-feed-program to be eligible for the Federal-Provincial Funding of up to $150/head.  A Saskatchewan Provincial-only payment of up to $60 per head will be available to producers outside the Canadian Drought Monitor D2 Drought Area

In the application, producers must:

1. Report total eligible breeding livestock inventory.
   • Eligible livestock for this initiative includes Canadian-owned male and female beef cattle, bison, horse, elk, deer sheep or goats that are bred or intended to be bred.
   • The number of open replacement females considered eligible livestock is up to 15 per cent of total bred females per species.
   • The maximum number of breeding males required to maintain the herd that can be considered Eligible Animals is 5% of the total number of female Eligible Animals per species.
2. Declare eligibility, as outlined in the Terms and Conditions.

A Premise ID is required to apply. Producers must report extraordinary expenses.