Keystone Agricultural Producers

ALUS is a voluntary, incentive-based environmental program that recognizes and rewards the positive contributions that farmers make to clean air and water and biodiversity through their land management practices. The ALUS concept has received widespread support from farmers, farm organizations, conservation groups, government officials, and other decision makers. The first pilot project was launched in Manitoba in November 2005. Pilot project proposals have been developed in PEI, Ontario (Norfolk County), Saskatchewan (RM of Lakeside) and Alberta (County of Vermilion River) and are awaiting responses from federal funding applications.

The Manitoba ALUS Pilot Project

"ALUS: An Ecological Goods & Services Research Project ~ Manitoba" is running for three years in the RM of Blanshard, located northwest of Brandon, Manitoba. It will test the ALUS concept, to see if farmers will participate, to evaluate the efficiency of program delivery, and help to determine if ALUS could be implemented as a national program. ALUS was initially developed by Keystone Agricultural Producers, and the pilot project is taking place with the partnership of Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Manitoba Agriculture, Food & Rural Initiatives, the RM of Blanshard, Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, and the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District.

During the first sign-up period in the fall of 2006, over 70% of eligible landowners enrolled their lands in the project, representing over 20,000 acres and more than $300,000 in ecological goods & services. Over the winter, a survey of landowners will be conducted as part of the ongoing evaluation. For more information about Manitoba's pilot project, contact local project manager Steve Hamm by email or call (204) 566-2270.

Selected Media Coverage

ALUS Delivers Big Financial Dividends: Study. Manitoba Co-operator, April 5/07
Tory Wetland Plan Incorporates ALUS. Manitoba Co-operator, April 5/07
"G reen" Greer Garners Award. Rivers Banner, February 17/07
Federation seeks $10 million to launch farm plan proposal. PEI's The Guardian, February 14/07
GX on Agriculture: ALUS. GX94-Yorkton (Saskatchewan), January 4/07 Transcript
Sask. Plans Land Use Project. Western Producer, November 9/06
Ian Wishart Wins Canadian Agri-Food Award of Excellence for ALUS Efforts. Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, November 6/06

ALUS Features & News Releases

Benefits Outweigh Costs of National ALUS Program, issued by Delta Waterfowl & The Canadian Federation of Agriculutre (April 16, 2007) ~
En français ~ Full Report
Waterside Wonders: Protecting Riparian Areas with ALUS, by Maryjane McLaren (March 2007) Contracted by the ALUS - Manitoba Management Committee En français
Investing in Manitoba's Wetlands, by Maryjane McLaren (February 2007) Contracted by the ALUS - Manitoba Management Committee En français
The ALUS Basics, by Maryjane McLaren. (December 2006) Contracted by the ALUS - Manitoba Management Committee En français
VEGgieS From the Forest. News release from the Canadian Model Forest Network, with an ALUS mention, December 20/06
ALUS Sign-Up Deadline Extended for Eligible Producers (September 28/06)