APAS at CFA at the July Semi Annual Meeting
Daily Reports from the CFA Semi Annual in Kelowna
(PHOTO: Greg Marshall, APAS President listens attentively as Larry Rudd, President and CEO of One Earth Farms explains the corporate structure and management philosophy that will guide One Earth.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) met in July in Kelowna, BC for its 2009 Semi Annual Meeting. The meeting brought together farm leaders from across Canada, representing all commodities and regions, to discuss issues and challenges, propose workable solutions, and build new partnerships that will strengthen the agriculture industry as a whole. The theme of this year's meeting was “Restoring Profitability to the Farm Gate.”
Six members of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan's Executive, Board and staff headed west during the last week of July to carry the united voice of Saskatchewan's farmers and ranchers to the CFA table.
APAS Delegates include: President Greg Marshall, Vice President Don Connick, Director David Spencer (District 4), General Manager, Nial Kuyek, Policy Manager, Doug Faller and Communications Consultant, Aj Thakker, who provided live reports from the meeting floor.
CFA Semi Annual Meeting - Day 1 - "Live" Report
CFA Semi Annual Meeting - Day 2 - "Live"Report
CFA Semi Annual Meeting - Day 3 - "Live" Report
CFA Semi Annual Meeting - Day 3 - Vineyard & Winery Tour
“CFA’s Semi-Annual is a time for members to gather midway through the year to re-evaluate priorities and refine strategies,” said Laurent Pellerin, CFA President. “In addition to the important work done at the committee level, members heard from a wide variety of speakers and engaged in discussions on key issues affecting the agri-food sector.”
One of these key issues is the urgent situation facing the livestock and in particular the hog sector. Members heard from Jurgen Preugschas, CPC chair, on the status of the sector’s proposed transition plan and required and immediate next steps.
Canadian farm leaders were pleased to have the opportunity to hear from the newly elected Steve Thomson, Minister of Agriculture for British Columbia, and President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Mayor Basil Stewart. CFA members committed to working closely with the FCM in implementing its recently released report, Wake Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada.
Attendees also engaged in a lively discussion with Roger Larson of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute on Competitive pricing and mergers. Larry Ruud made a presentation regarding One Earth Farms, a large corporate farm that will include cattle ranching and grain and oilseed cultivation in the Canadian Prairie Provinces in partnership with First Nations.
Other highlights included a panel discussion on Climate Change which featured discussions by Dale Enerson, Director of the Carbon Credit Program at NFU, Karen Haugen-Kozyra from Climate Change Central, Emily MacNair, Climate Action Initiative Coordinator from BC Agriculture and Food, and Dean Stinson O’Gorman, Manager of Canada's Offset System for Greenhouse – Gases for Environment Canada.
CFA members expressed reservations with key components of the government’s plan, particularly the 25-year liability requirement for no-till projects and noted by contrast the user-friendly approach of the NFU program in the United States. CFA looks forward to commenting on the government’s documents to ensure carbon offset program works for farmers.
For more information visit the CFA website or contact Suzanne Lamirande at Suzanne@cfafca.ca