County committee to tap ALUS funding

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

Wheatland County’s agricultural service board (ASB) is developing a partnership advisory committee (PAC) with the intent to tap into money supporting agriculture and environmental projects offered through the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS).
Wheatland County will join 10 other ALUS chapters operating in Alberta. Funding is given for approved projects, as well as providing annual per acre payments to farmers for enhanced sites.
ALUS is a national non-profit charitable organization that channels funding provided by individuals, governments, foundations and corporations, to community-developed farmer-driven agriculture, wildlife and natural areas initiatives.
A signed memorandum of understanding (MOU), approved by the ASB, gains the county’s acceptance into the partnership with the ALUS organization, so a PAC needs to be developed to draft the memorandum.
Once approved, the PAC will begin to determine priorities and make decisions for projects partnered through ALUS.
“This is ALUS’s way of ensuring that the initiatives are farmer and community driven, and that their dollars are spent where the community values them most,” said Sarah Schumacher, agricultural conservation coordinator with Wheatland County.
Five members and one alternate will sit on the PAC and be appointed at the ASB organizational meeting. The committee may also consult technical advisors and have them appear at meetings. The meetings will be held quarterly, following regular ASB meetings.
The first year’s goals are expected to be organizational, setting terms for the committee and researching possible projects. They will establish payment structures for landowners and producers, and develop project-monitoring agreements. Education and fundraising will also be part of their responsibilities.
Some of the projects previously approved by ALUS include climate adaptation, flood mitigation, clean air and water initiatives, carbon sequestering, species-at-risk programs, and native bee and pollinator preservation.