Alternative Land Use Services

The County of Wetaskiwin No. 10 and Leduc County partnered with Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Canada to run a joint ALUS program. The program supports farmers in adopting practices that are good for the land, for the water, and for their bottom line. 

ALUS Canada (a Weston Family Initiative) is a national not-for-profit organization that supports delivery of the ALUS program across the country. In Alberta, participating municipalities invest in staff and operations to manage local program administration and distribute funding to local farmers.

ALUS helps farmers and ranchers establish projects on marginal, environmentally sensitive, or difficult to farm areas on their land. In addition, ALUS provides annual maintenance payments to ensure ongoing project stewardship. ALUS projects provide natural benefits to all of society; some examples include habitat for fish, wildlife and native pollinators, cleaner air and water, and sustainable food production on working landscapes.

Farmers and ranchers wanting to fence off wetlands or creeks or interested in enhancing these areas with native grasses, trees and shrubs or the protection of native stands should consider contacting the program coordinator. Producers interested in converting marginal cropland, like saline seeps or areas around wetlands (bogs, swamps, marshes or shallow open water) into tame forages or native prairie mixtures should also call the program coordinator.

Learn more about the ALUS program.

Wetaskiwin-Leduc ALUS program receives support from the Alberta Conservation Association. Learn more here https://www.ab-conservation.com

Contact

Kim Barkwell, Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator