The Mountain View County Agricultural Service Board has again come out in support of a local crop-growing project that supports overseas communities suffering from famine and food shortages.
During the board's regularly scheduled meeting on April 15, representatives of the Mountain View Growing Project made a presentation to board members, outlining plans for 2013.
Formed in 2010 by local agricultural producers and local business owners, the project is part of the larger Canadian Foodgrains Bank organization.
The CFGB's mandate includes ending “hunger by supporting partnership and activities overseas, influencing necessary changes in public policies and deepening the involvement of Canadians.”
Projects supported through the CFGB program in the past include ones in Ethiopia, India, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
In 2012 the CFGB raised more than $38 million. The Mountain View Growing Project has to date raised $60,000 from agricultural production.
All funds raised through the sale of the agricultural production by the Mountain View group are matched four times by the federal government through the Canadian International Development Organization, board members heard.
In 2013 the project will see 130 acres of canola grown on a section north of Didsbury, co-founder Mike Kohut told board members.
The organization is looking for support from area residents and company support again in 2013, he said, noting that that support can include the donation of time.
“There is a significant cost associated with growing a crop and donations of time and equipment can help greatly,” said Kohut. “One way that an individual can (also) still be involved in the project is by donating inputs such as chemical, fertilizer and seed.”
Cash donations and input donations are both eligible for tax deduction receipts, he said.
The project also includes an acre sponsor program, with the cost of sponsoring an acre in 2013 being $250.
“We are always looking for people to come out and support the project,” he said. “Right now we are looking for anyone who can help us seed it. There's always a need for the community to be involved. We have been humbled by how many people have actually come out and embraced it and helped and the local businesses that have stepped in.”
Fellow project organizer Andre Visscher echoed Kohut's comments, saying community support is a must for the ongoing success of the program.
Board members passed a motion calling on council to approve a $500 donation to the program in 2013, the same amount donated last year.
In other board news, members also passed a motion at last week's meeting calling on council to approve a $500 donation to the Carstairs and District 4-H Show & Sale for the purchase of shavings to “lay on the floor of the arena for the safety and well-being of the steers and the kids.”
The 70th annual Carstairs event takes place on May 21 at the Carstairs Memorial Arena.
During the April 15 meeting, agricultural service board members were also given an update on the ongoing development of the new Southeast Sundre area structure plan.
The agricultural service board advises Mountain View County on agriculture issues and projects, and promotes the area's agriculture industry and community.
