Alberta cattle producers who received AgriStability payments for the 2024 program year may now be required to repay some of those funds after a pricing error led to inflated benefit calculations.

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) has notified affected producers following the discovery of a modelling inconsistency involving heavy weight cattle, specifically animals weighing more than 900 pounds. The issue stemmed from a new pricing model introduced in 2024 after traditional market data became harder to obtain.

Under the revised system, heavy cattle were valued using a different weight assumption than the one used to establish historical price benchmarks. That discrepancy caused ending inventory values to be set too low, which in turn increased AgriStability payouts for some producers beyond what they were entitled to receive.

After identifying the problem, AFSC recalculated heavy cattle prices for both the 2024 and 2025 program years and began reassessing affected files. The review found some producers had received overpayments and will now need to return those funds. AFSC has said flexible repayment arrangements, including interest relief where appropriate, will be available to help ease the financial burden.

The corporation said its review found the pricing issue was limited to cattle weighing more than 900 pounds. Other market cattle categories were not affected.

AFSC has also introduced additional oversight measures to monitor unusual price movements and improve the accuracy of future cattle valuations under the program.

Producers with questions are encouraged to contact their local AFSC office, call the corporation's client care centre or access support through AFSC Connect.

More information is available through Agriculture Financial Services Corporation at AFSC News Release.