Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Nate Horner held a virtual media roundtable on Friday, November 25 with members of the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association (AWNA) to discuss the mandate letter received from new Alberta Premier Danielle Smith earlier this month outlining the direction and priorities of the ministry.
Among those mandates, Minister Horner has been directed to examine ways to reduce food costs for consumers in Alberta, advocate for farmers and ranchers against federal policies with potential negative impacts such as access problems at the Port of Vancouver and fertilizer reductions, and encourage increased nitrogen production to help reduce costs.
“A real piece I’m excited about is the number one directive in the letter-to ensure Alberta is in a competitive place when attracting agri-food, manufacturing, processing, and investment,” Minister Horner said during the roundtable.
He explains a lot of work has been done over the last year within the ministry.
There were broad goals to attract investment in the agri-food industry and create jobs, and Minister Horner says he sees the mandate letter “as chapter two” of these goals.
Minister Horner notes there have been recent developments in Strathmore and Lethbridge for pea processing, and adds there is also potential for meat processing.
“There’s so much more opportunity out there, I believe Alberta can land so many more good investments,” he says.
Irrigation is another facet of Minister Horner’s portfolio, and he shares he is very proud of the work done in this area over the last three years. He says he hopes to bring irrigation development to areas without it currently, as irrigation has numerous advantages including job creation and drought mitigation.
However, Minister Horner says there is some rigid processes when it comes to “anything to do with water,” but the ministry wants to look at what more can be done across the province.
Minister Horner notes there are some anticipated announcements coming fairly soon which will show the direction of where irrigation is headed in the province.