A cost sharing program for land regeneration for marginal and environmentally sensitive lands.
The ALUS program helps agricultural producers in three main ways:

1. Identifies stewardship opportunities
2. Shares project establishment costs (materials and labour, typically cost-share is 50/50)
3. Provides annual payments for production of ecosystem services

Types of ALUS projects include:

• • Creating watering systems for livestock
  • Implementing rotational grazing practices
  • Creating fencing around water bodies or improving waterbody buffers
  • Restoring, creating, enhancing, or expanding wetlands and riparian areas
  • Housing bird nesting structures or other habitat structures
  • Planting flowering plants for pollinator habitat
  • Reforesting or enhancing tree stands
  • Building shelterbelts of trees to protect fields from wind and snow
  • Planting native grasses for forage or habitat

How ALUS works?

Questions?
Contact Katie Bartman, the Environmental Program Coordinator at 780-322-3831 or kbartman@northernsunrise.net 

Interested?
Submit your application to kbartman@northernsunrise.net or drop it off at the County office.

• Weed Control Assisting residents with regulated weed control through recommendations and assisting with control efforts.
  • The County can assist with regulated weed spraying free of charge. Sign up here.
• Right of Way Control Annual roadside vegetation mowing and herbicide application on a rotational basis.
• Drainage Ditch Control Annual mowing of drainage ditches to ensure that infrastructure is maintained to control spring water runoff.

Annual surveys for the following diseases and agricultural pests throughout the County. These pests are regulated under the Agricultural Pests Act and Regulation. If found, the County will advise producers on practices for management and control of these pests:

• Blackleg
  • This disease infects the cabbage family and occurs on crops such as mustard and canola.
• Clubroot
  • This disease can infect canola and mustard crops, weeds including wild mustard, stinkweed and shepherd’s purse and other cruciferous vegetable crops
• Fusarium Head Blight
  • This fungal pathogen infects all small grain cereal crops (wheat, barley, oat, rye, triticale), corn and many wild and tame grass species. The most damaging strain of Fusarium head blight is caused the fungus Fusarium graminearum.
• Grasshopper
  • These pests can cause serious feeding damages to all crops and forages.

The County has annual orders of trees and pollinator plant species.

A shelterbelt is typically row or rows of trees and/or shrubs that are natural or planted to reduce the impact of winds and wind speed. Shelterbelts can be very beneficial to:

• • Improve air and water quality
  • Improve carbon capture
  • Reduce wind stress and damage to crops
  • Reduce soil erosion
  • Increase snow capture
  • Increase water storage
  • Create wildlife habitat

Order your shelterbelt plants here!

Annual property inspections to detect and monitor for regulated weeds under the Alberta Weed Control Act. Watch this video to learn more about the program. If regulated weeds are found during a weed inspection a follow-up communication will be provided:

• Information Package
  • For low priority infestations of regulated weeds, this communication informs landowners of the regulated weeds found.
• Compliance Letter
  • For moderate priority infestations of regulated weeds, this communication details the importance of controlling regulated weeds.
• Inspector’s Notice
  • For high priority infestations of regulated weeds, this communication mandates destruction or control of the regulated weeds found by a specified date. If control is not performed before this date action will be taken by Northern Sunrise County in accordance with the Weed Control Act.

Cost sharing program for approved veterinary services for cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and bees. This program is available to livestock owners who live and own land within the County.

Any producer wishing to access this program can do so by completing the V.S.I application form and submit it to agservices@northernsunrise.net or drop it off at the County office. Following processing, you will receive a V.S.I card and number. This card allows the Veterinarian providing the medical services to do the cost share up front. 

Learn about the services that are covered here.

The services that are NOT covered are referenced here.