Latest News

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) is Manitoba’s general farm policy organization representing and promoting the interests of farm families and commodity associations. We work with industry, government, and stakeholders to ensure that agriculture in Manitoba remains profitable and sustainable.

KAP requires a permanent, full-time Communications and Government Relations Coordinator who will be responsible for creating, implementing, and overseeing communications activities that promote KAP, support its advocacy efforts, and create awareness of its programs.

Duties include: editor-in-chief of Manitoba Farmers Voice, media relations and monitoring, publisher of KAP Alert, supporting KAP’s advocacy efforts, and overseeing the management of the website, social media, and KAP events.

This article originally appeared in the October 5th edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. 

Manitobans should be confident about where their food comes from. Manitoba farmers take biosecurity and food safety incredibly seriously because we know that what we produce should meet the highest standards.

Stringent national biosecurity requirements from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency include requirements, depending on species, such as employees showering when entering and exiting a barn, mandatory gowns, face masks, and boot covers, and other standards aimed at keeping both the animals and the food supply safe.

These standards and accompanying programs from the livestock industry are mandatory, enforceable and include third-party independent auditing and verification.

KAP is Manitoba’s general farm policy organization, representing and promoting the interests of thousands of agricultural producers in Manitoba. KAP works for farmers by advocating for policies that will keep Manitoba’s agriculture industry profitable, sustainable, and globally competitive. KAP policy is developed by farmers and commodity group members representing all agricultural commodities and all regions of Manitoba.

The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program is a voluntary, self-assessment process that helps farm managers identify on-farm environmental assets and risks and develop an action plan to address those risks.

In recent years there have been a variety of resolutions passed calling on KAP to work with Manitoba Hydro on issues such as line height, permitting, and biosecurity.

In an attempt to disseminate some of the information that KAP has collected, the following is a question and answer segment that addresses some of the most prominent issues brought forward from Manitoba’s farmers.

Responses from Manitoba Hydro are in blue. We wish to thank Manitoba Hydro for responding to these questions from Manitoba farmers. 

Click here to read the full FAQ document. 

KAP has written a letter to Manitoba’s Minister of Finance Scott Fielding on Bill 44, the Public Utilities Ratepayer Protection and Regulatory Reform Act. We believe there are amendments required to this legislation that would better protect farmers as Manitoba Hydro ratepayers.

In Manitoba, agriculture is a key economic driver. Farm cash receipts in 2019 were over $6.5 billion which makes up approximately 5% of Manitoba’s GDP. When considering the secondary and tertiary contributions created by the agriculture sector, agriculture represents more than 10% of all economic activity in the province. Primary production in Manitoba is essential to the entire value chain.

Click here to read the full letter.