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Nova Scotia earmarks $200K to ease costs of trucking limestone

Nova Scotia’s farmers are receiving more funds to help cover increased trucking costs for limestone, as the Department of Agriculture is putting an additional $200,000 into the Limestone Trucking Assistance Program.

“After touring multiple farms around the province to hear from farmers and meeting this morning with farmer Tim Marsh at the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, I am acting to help farmers struggling with rising diesel costs,” said Greg Morrow, Minister of Agriculture. “To help farmers with transportation costs, we have increased the program fund to $550,000.”

Nova Scotia’s annual Limestone Trucking Assistance Program helps Nova Scotia farms defray the cost of trucking limestone, used to neutralize the acidity of the soil on agricultural land, and improve production efficiencies.

The program, and 13 other Nova Scotia funding programs aimed at helping eligible farmers, are now open for applications: https://novascotia.ca/agri/programs-and-services/financial-funding/

“This increase in funds to the Limestone Trucking Assistance Program will be a help to producers. In a time when the cost and availability of essentials are never certain, any support is appreciated,” says Tim Marsh, President, Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

Quick Facts:

• In 2021, 143 farmers applied for assistance from the Limestone Trucking Assistance Program
• As of May 13, the fuel surcharge to farmers for limestone trucking grew to 60 per cent over the rate the Department of Public Works pays for hauling gravel, known as the gravel rate; the Limestone Trucking Assistance Program covers 80 per cent of that cost