Alberta Grains is ending FarmCash, the cash advance programme it has run for almost a decade, by 2027. FarmCash has given farmers interest-free cash advances and low interest rates through the federal Advance Payments Program.
In an October 15 statement the organisation said its board had determined that continuing to administer the Advance Payments Program through FarmCash "no longer aligns with the long-term strategic priorities and goals of Alberta Grains."
The programme was launched in 2018 as a partnership between the federal government and what was then the Alberta Wheat Commission. It covered more than 50 agricultural commodities and offered advances of up to $1 million. The first $100,000 was interest-free; the remaining balance carried an interest rate of TD prime minus 0.75 per cent, which stood at 0.50 per cent in October 2026. In 2021 FarmCash was opened to farmers in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Farmers already enrolled still have time to use it. Until November 15, 2026, producers who hold an existing Spring Advance through FarmCash can apply for an additional advance.
Active FarmCash producers will hear from Alberta Grains once their files have been assigned to a new administrator. Each will receive an account-specific transition package with instructions, and the organisation said future approval and timing of advances will depend on the requirements of the receiving administrator. Producers with urgent needs are asked to contact FarmCash promptly.
Farmers may also choose their own certified administrator. In Alberta the options include the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Potato Growers of Alberta and the Agri-Commodity Management Association.
For grain and oilseed growers who rely on the advances to bridge the gap between harvest and sale, the change means checking which administrator will hold their file before the next advance is needed.
Photo: Darren Kirby / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Farms.com
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