The Government of Manitoba gave its throne speech on Tuesday, and two major agriculture groups in the province are satisfied with the government’s plan.

Keystone Ag Producers President Bill Campbell said that KAP is pleased with what the government brought forward in the speech.

“We look forward to working together on the issues that matter most to Manitoba farmers,” said Campbell. “We want to thank Minister Pedersen for debriefing with us on the contents of the speech.”

KAP and Manitoba Beef Producers were both happy to hear that the province will be exploring the elimination of the education portion on property taxes. As it stands right now, producers in the province pay up to 10 times the amount that other Manitobans pay.

They both welcomed the increased funding towards the GROW program, while they add they are waiting for more details on how it will be beneficial to producers.

While there were some positive steps being taken in the province’s approach on agriculture, Carson Callum, the General Manager of Manitoba Beef Producers says the omission of how the changes to the Crown Lands Leasing Program will be carried out was concerning to producers.

“The Crown Lands piece is a really big issue, especially for many of our members,” said Callum. “It would have been helpful to see some of the areas that they are going to address in the short term, but we continue to push our position in relation to Crown Lands with the province.”

Other things the government has promised are the completion of the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel, the introduction of new bio-fuel standards, and an increased focus on rural crime.

The province also announced a new “Partners for Economic Growth” program, which acknowledges the importance of agriculture to the province's economy.