Manitoba unveiled its new provincial budget yesterday.

KAP President Dan Mazier says, amid talk of austerity and cutbacks to slay the deficit, agriculture fared well and there are aspects to help grow agriculture.

Dan Mazier-Keystone Agricultural Producers

The Livestock Strategy, I think that was building on what the minister originally made in his first days of being a minister and trying to work toward building a livestock herd and making sure the livestock and processing is enhanced in Manitoba to grow Manitoba.

Having that overall strategy worked on I think is a very positive move.

That particular strategy works very well with our federal budget that mentioned agriculture and how food processing is so important to building the country's economy as well.

Between the federal budget and the provincial budget those are two budgets that, I can never recall agriculture being mentioned in recent memory and we've got it in as many weeks so I think we're doing pretty good that way.

I think governments are starting to realize that there is a lot of potential in agriculture and this government seems to be supporting it.

Their tag line is Made in Manitoba and the other one you'll hear a lot of is the most improved province.

There was another mention in the budget about infrastructure and a strategic infrastructure investment of almost a billion dollars.

I think that is long overdue.

We always complain that there's no money and we need roads fixed.

If we know why roads aren't getting fixed or why certain roads are getting fixed to build the economy in Manitoba so we can get our products to market, it should at the end of the day bode very well for not only agriculture but for all of Manitoba.

Mr Mazier says the changes represent baby steps but should send us in the right direction as far as growing Manitoba.