Cypress County secures $222K in provincial funding for agrifood resilience and workforce development

Jun 15, 2026 | 5:06 PM

Cypress County has received $222,000 in federal-provincial funding to examine new agri-food processing opportunities and develop a workforce strategy aimed at strengthening the region’s agricultural sector amid ongoing trade uncertainty and tariff pressures.

The funding comes through the Canada-Alberta Workforce Resilience Initiative and will support a project focused on identifying value-added processing opportunities for local agricultural products while ensuring the county has the workforce needed to support future industry growth.

Cypress County Mayor Dan Hamilton said agriculture remains a cornerstone of the local economy, and the funding will help the municipality prepare for changing market conditions.

The project will involve research and consultation with producers, industry stakeholders, educational institutions and municipal partners to assess the impact of tariffs on locally grown crops and beef while exploring opportunities to keep more products in the region for processing.

Work will include producer engagement, market analysis, infrastructure assessments, supply chain reviews and evaluations of processing technologies to identify opportunities to diversify markets, expand local processing capacity and improve economic resilience.

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The initiative will also examine workforce needs within the agrifood sector through an assessment of labour demands, skills shortages and training gaps.

The project will review existing training programs and develop a long-term workforce roadmap to support future industry growth.

Cypress County is exploring ways to incorporate agrifood workforce development into local schools to help build a future talent pipeline for the industry.

County officials say the project is expected to produce recommendations that support business growth, encourage value-added processing and strengthen the region’s long-term economic resilience.

by Jett Schwaier

Cypress County secures $222K in provincial funding for agrifood resilience and workforce development

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