A new grant program has been established to help farmers upgrade their grain handling systems.

The Efficient Grain Dryer Program allows applicants to choose equipment that is compatible with the size and volume of their farm operation and to improve energy efficiency.

"The last harvest was one of the toughest for Alberta farmers. Poor weather, trade irritants, rail strikes and a carbon tax have all hurt farmers through no fault of their own," Provincial Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen says. "This new program will help farmers remain competitive and keep producing the best high-quality food in the world."

The program is retroactive to April 1, 2018, to accommodate almost 100 applicants who've been waiting since then as well as those who weren't aware of the program previously and purchased eligible equipment in the last two years.

The Efficient Grain Dryer Program is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership with $2 million available.

Based on the final Alberta Crop Report dated Dec. 3, 2019, about 10 percent of crops across Alberta were left in the fields to be harvested in spring 2020.

Unharvested crops vary widely across the province, about two percent remain in the fields in the southern region, seven percent in central and northwest Alberta and 13 percent in the northeast. In the Peace Region, about 32 percent of crops are left to be combined in the spring.