After 16 years of an NDP government, Manitobans voted in a majority Progressive Conservative (PC) government. The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) thinks the new PC government could bring a strong voice for farmers and rural areas.

Dan Mazier notes quite a few typically orange rural constituencies flipped to blue in the election, which he thinks could bring a new tone and perspective for agriculture.

"The fact that Brian Pallister is a rural Manitoba boy, I think he'll always remember that," Mazier says, "like once you live in rural Manitoba you get it. Sometimes it's pretty easy to forget living in Winnipeg, but it's something you do remember, and hopefully there (will be) a kinder lens or a better perspective for Manitoba."

Once the new government gets in and gets working, Mazier says it will be important for KAP to get to know the newly elected and re-elected officials to discuss their priorities for province.

In the lead up to the election, Mazier was pleased to hear the PCs talk positively about the Alternate Land Use Services program (ALUS), although he feels they did not talk enough about research, innovation, and support for young farmers in the province.

"We need to create an atmosphere in Manitoba that supports innovation. You know, if someone wants to come into agriculture, who do we support that?" He says. "Right now you've got a wall of regulations to get over, and if you're a small beginning farmer, how do you start that out? So (we need) some support for that so people will be interested (in joining agriculture)."

In KAP's election priorities document released weeks before the election, the farm policy organization called on the new Manitoba government to spend the equivalent of one per cent of Manitoba farm cash receipts on provincial research and innovation. In order to encourage young farmers, KAP also called on the new government to waive the AgriStability fee for the first five years of enrollment, as well as provide a kick start deposit over the first five years for new AgriInvest participants.