Alberta Beef Producers applauds AgriStability enhancements in 2025 Federal Budget

Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) is welcoming amendments to the AgriStability program announced in the 2025 federal budget—changes that represent meaningful progress for cattle producers.

Budget 2025 includes $109.2 million for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to support the federal-provincial-territorial AgriStability program. Key changes include:

• Compensation rate increased from 80 per cent to 90 per cent
• Pasture-related feed costs added as eligible expenses
• Payment cap doubled from $3 million to $6 million for 2025

ABP Chair Doug Roxburgh says the announcement reflects years of collaboration between industry and government.

“Thank you to Minister RJ Sigurdson and the team at Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation for bringing forward the proposal to amend AgriStability, and thanks to Minister Heath MacDonald for endorsing the suggested improvements,” says Roxburgh. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our government partners in achieving this significant step forward.”

A long-term effort driven by producers

Business risk management programming has been a priority for ABP for many years, and efforts intensified following the 2021 drought. Producer resolutions—including those calling for more timely and responsive AgriRecovery support—helped shape ABP’s policy direction and government engagement over the past four years.

“AgriStability is Canada’s main business risk management program for livestock, and thanks to ongoing collaboration, it is evolving to better reflect the realities in the grazing sector,” says Mark Lyseng, ABP’s Government Relations and Policy Lead. “We’re proud to have worked alongside the teams at Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation and Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) on these important updates. This is a positive step in a series of improvements that will strengthen the industry.”

Why these changes matter

The inclusion of pasture-related feed costs makes the program more relevant for cow/calf producers and other grazing operations.

The temporary increase in the payment cap provides additional stability while ABP continues to advocate for a permanent cap increase and further improvements to eligible expenses.

What’s next

ABP will continue working with government partners on the implementation details of these amendments. In the meantime, producers are encouraged to contact their local AFSC office to learn how these changes may influence their operation or business decisions.