PFRA

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PFRA

• Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
• Lindsay Horner

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• PFRA was established by an Act of Parliament in
  1935 in response to the widespread drought, farm
• abandonment and land degradation of the 1930s.

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PFRAs Role

• "... secure the rehabilitation of the drought and
  soil drifting areas in the Provinces of Manitoba,
  Saskatchewan and Alberta, and to develop and
  promote within those areas, systems of farm
  practice, tree culture, water supply, land
  utilization and land settlement that will afford
  greater economic security...
• PFRA Business Plan

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A Brief History

• Initially, the organization was fully occupied
  with a crisis situation.
• Dugouts and smaller water conservation
• Relocation of farmers
• Conversion of unsuitable cropland to community
  pasture.
• Then as the crisis passed, more ambitious
  projects were undertaken.
• Large Dams
• Irrigation Projects
• Improvement of Community Water

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• A farmer excavating his dugout with a Fresno

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Gardiner Dam, Saskatchewan
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PFRAs Change in Focus

• 1935 (the beginning)
• Water supply, Consolidating marginal lands into
  community pasture, and demonstrating soil
  conservation methods.
• 1950 - 1960s
• Large Dams and Irrigation Project Development
• 1970s
• Municipal Infrastructure
• 1980s
• Drought and Land Degradation Issues

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PFRA Today

• Mission Statement working with Prairie people to
  build a viable agricultural industry, and to
  support a sound rural economy, healthy
  environment and a high quality of life.
• Over 600 employees, serving more than 30,000
  Prairie Clients each year.
• Serving from a network of
• 87community pastures
• 28 field offices

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PFRA Programs

• Land Resources
• Rural Adaptation
• Rural Water Development
• Southwest Saskatchewan Irrigation
• Irrigation Diversification Centers

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PFRA Programs

• Shelterbelt Program
• Community Pastures Program
• Permanent Cover Program (1991 2021)
• Tax Deferral Program
• Federal Provincial Agreements (delivered by the
  PFRA)

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Community Pasture Program

• Largest and longest-running contribution to soil
  conservation on the prairies
• Created to reclaim badly eroded areas
• Converted over 145,000 hectares of poor-quality
  cultivated lands to grass cover
• More than 900,000 hectares of rangeland
• The mandate is to conserve the land resource,
  using cattle grazing as the primary tool

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Prairie Shelterbelt Program

• Provides technical services and tree and shrub
  seedlings for establishment of shelterbelts
• The aim is to improve the performance and
  sustainability of the agricultural sector
• Seedlings are an incentive
• Shelterbelts conserve soil and water, manage snow
  and wind, improve air quality, protect yards and
  livestock, stabilize crops and enhance habitat
  for wildlife.

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• In the 1930s PFRA staff planted shelterbelts to
  help control soil erosion.

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Shelterbelts serve as windbreaks to protect the
fields, farmsteads and act as a riparian buffer.
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PFRA Services

• PFRA offers technical assistance in

• Land and Water conservation planning
• Soil and Water engineering
• Water supply development and wastewater treatment
  
• Shelterbelt planning
• Environmental analysis

• Economic analysis
• Rangelands management
• Irrigation development and planning
• Project management
• GIS analysis
• Surveying and drafting