Equipment funding pays off

February 20, 2008

A 'triple win' for producers, food safety and consumers.

Good intentions alone don't pay the bills.

A part of a hands-on, roll-up-your sleeves, family-owned beef operation in the Interlake region of Manitoba, this is a concept Betty Green knows well.

Understanding what's needed is one thing, but delivering the goods often depends on having the best tools to do a job right.

"Equipment can make a big difference," says Green, part of the Green family operation near Fisher Branch, which includes an 800-head cow-calf operation and a feedlot. "It not only helps make the work easier, but it makes sure a job is done the right way."

Helping to bring both of those needs together is the goal of an equipment fund available to eligible producers through the Verified Beef Production (VBP) program.

Called the On-Farm Implementation Fund, this fund provides partial funding to eligible producers, for use toward the purchase of equipment that helps them carry out good on-farm food safety practices. Producers who have attended a VBP workshop are eligible for the funding.

Examples of equipment that may be purchased include hand-held RFID tag readers, computer software to track medication withdrawals, extension for chutes to facilitate neck injections, scale/calibration device for medicated feeds, and disposal containers for used medical bottles.

"What I like about the equipment fund is it has a very real impact," says Green, who also helps deliver the program as part of her role as a VBP coordinator. "The producers who purchase this equipment do so to improve their technique or improve their procedures at the farm level.

"It's always nice when you're rewarding the producers who are doing things right. That's what the equipment funding is set-up to do."

Good tools, less cost

VBP is Canada's recognized on-farm food safety program for beef - a program designed to uphold consumer confidence in the products and good practices of this country's beef producers.

By attending a VBP workshop - any one of several held regularly across the country - producers help keep up to date with standard operating procedures that support on-farm food safety. They also have the option to complete additional steps to become VBP registered, which can bring marketing advantages by providing verified assurance that the operation's practices meet recognized VBP standards.

The equipment available for purchase through the On-Farm Implementation Fund is not required to meet VBP standards, but it can help producers a lot in their work to meet those standards and do their job easier, more effectively and more efficiently overall.

"Good tools can go a long way to help," says Green. "With the equipment funding, producers can get those with less of a dent to their pocketbooks."

Simple steps

Producers who attend VBP workshops are eligible for up to $750 per purchase toward equipment that supports on-farm food safety practices.

For producers who haven't participated in the VBP program, the first step to become eligible for he funding is to sign-up to attend a VBP workshop. Information on workshops is available through the provincial coordinator contacts listed on the ((link to page)) "VBP Across Canada" page of the VBP Web site, located at www.verifiedbeef.org. Producers can also get information by calling the VBP program by phone at (306) 737-2290 or (403) 275-8558.

Producers who have attended a VBP workshop can apply for equipment funding by contacting their provincial VBP program coordinator ahead of purchase. The coordinator will then assist with an assessment of equipment eligibility and providing a Producer Declaration form to use in the process of obtaining funding.

"Most equipment in the categories mentioned is eligible, as long as the cost is a minimum $200 and the equipment is commercially available in Canada," says Green.

The VBP program does not recommend any particular manufacturer and producers can choose to purchase based on their own preference. After purchase, producers are asked to provide a copy of the invoice to the provincial coordinator, with a signed Producer Declaration form.

Producers are eligible for 50 percent of the cost up to a maximum of $750. Funding is taxable and producers must provide a SIN and GST number for tax purposes. A tax information slip is issued by the VBP program to the producer upon approval for the equipment funding.

"The process is designed to make things as easy as possible for the producers," says Green. "Once they've taken the workshop, it's just a matter of ensuring that they're purchasing eligible equipment, sending in a one page declaration, along with their copy of the invoice, and that's it."

Broad benefits

As a producer herself, for Green the best measure of the fund's value is producer satisfaction. "I often get producer comments saying the funding has been really helpful, or has made life easier. That's what you like to hear. We're seeing growing interest and more producers are taking advantage of the funding available."

The eligible equipment categories each come with a variety of benefits, she says.

Hand-held RFID Readers. These allow for animal treatment records to be transfered to a computerized record keeping system.

Software for medication info. This is used to track drug medication use and withdrawal periods.

Neck extension for chute. These assist in holding animals tightly to facilitate injection accuracy and reduce chance of broken or bent needles.

Scale/calibration device for medicated feed or water. This increases the accuracy of medication usage or actual dosages given to cattle.

Disposal container for used drug bottles. These units are self-contained and allow for Environmentally friendly disposal or shipping to municipal waste locations or medical waste facilities, or to a veterinarian for disposal.

The end result of implementing more of this equipment is greater support for good on-farm food safety practices, which brings a wide range of benefits, says Green.

"I think it's a triple win. Though the equipment that's being promoted isn't compulsory for the VBP program, it certainly helps the goals of the program be more successful. It has met also met with approval on the part of the producers, who feel that they're doing a better job by using the equipment to do things like restrain their animals better, get injections done accurately and keep on top of their record keeping.

"And of course it's good for the consumers, who continue to benefit from a strong commitment to on-farm food safety practices."

More information is available at www.verifiedbeef.org or by contacting the VBP program directly at (306) 737-2290 or (403) 275-8558.