A Fresh Perpective

BOD Retreat - Feb 5 & 6, 2009

On February fifth and sixth, the APAS Board of Directors met in Regina with a full agenda.  On February fifth, the board sat from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  On February sixth, the Board met from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM.  Most notable items on the agenda included:

President’s Report

                President Greg Marshall talked about the need to have an open line of communication with the provincial government.   This began with Premier Wall, on January 13th, contacting Greg thanking APAS for our united support in lobbying the federal government for a livestock assistance payment.  Further to APAS policy on livestock, tentative meetings with Minister Bjornerud are in place for later this month and in March. 

                In response to the $2.00/tonne overage on the freight rate cap; APAS has taken immediate action calling for the $60 million overpayment be returned to Canadian Farmers in place of it going to the Western Grains Research Fund.  While APAS recognizes the importance of research, its members believe these funds should be returned to producers.

                As many APAS members noticed in previous communication; the APAS executive and staff spent much time in analysis and response of the 2009 Federal Budget.   Our response to the federal budget can be read in full along with other media releases on our website at www.APAS.ca.

APAS Resolutions for 2009 CFA Annual Meeting (abbreviated)

1.       Be it resolved that CFA lobby for improved intergenerational transfer programs to attract young people to agriculture.

2.       Be it resolved that CFA adopt the following policy positions for advancement to other farm organizations and the federal government:

a.       Sufficient payment on either per acre or productivity basis to encourage producers to retain livestock forage and grasses.

b.      Changes to BRM programs to treat livestock producers equitably with grains and oilseed producers.

c.       Rollback community pasture rates

3.       Be it resolved that CFA lobby for the elimination of barriers to inter-provincial trade in livestock.

Sheryl Mills –Teamwork & Winning Teams

A large portion of February 6th was spent with an interactive discussion with Sheryl Mills; expert in team building and organizational focus.  We all walked away with a much greater appreciation of what is needed from all Reps and Board members in order to achieve further focus and success.

Review of APAS Strategic Plan

                On February sixth we spent considerable time reviewing our Strategic Plan.  Emphasis on three key areas is notable:

1.       Manufacturing of proactive policy based on solid research

2.       Develop further relationships with Provincial and Federal Government, including staff in Ministry and Opposition offices, sitting MP’s and MLA’s.

3.       Persistent Internal and external communication between Reps, Member and Non-Member RM’s, and scheduled meetings with media.  Ideas put forward for implementation include scholarship offerings for grads, market links to website, and job and equipment postings on website.

 

Committee appointments and meeting dates

Please visit our website www.APAS.ca

Policy Discussions

Additional policy discussion which may be taken up at the district level includes:

1.       Merits of foreign investment in Saskatchewan agriculture.  It is well known that economies from China and India will dominate the first half of the 21st Century (much like the U.S. had in the latter half of the 20th).  If we encouraged foreign capital in our industry, would that strengthen opportunities to their respective markets?   Would it help or hinder young farmers from managing increased financial leverage as they grow in size? 

2.       Merits and methods of reducing interprovincial trade barriers for livestock products.  Will it affect our international marketing focus?  How does the idea coalesce with current packing capacity?  Are their transport implications?  Are there ways to improve opportunities for all Canadian livestock producers with better streamlined trade?

Scholarship Offering

                It was agreed to investigate an essay competition for high school and university grads.  Topics will include the new policy discussions listed above.  Details on the competition will be advertised in the Western Producer at a later date.  For further information please visit www.APAS.ca.

Strength in Numbers

In my 34th year, I see APAS approaching its 9th year as an organization.  Perhaps we share something in common.  We are both relatively new to an industry which employs a majority of producers over 55 years old.  Most of you that will read this will be part of that 55+ majority.  In my own operation, I probably have used as much of my father’s (and others') last 30 years of farming experience to better deal with the last 10 years than I have my own.

 Despite my short tenure with farming, the change has been astonishing.  We have seen BSE, the RCALF outrage; dramatic currency fluctuations, commodities soar and plummet, extreme weather, shortages of inputs, and a near meteoric rise of fertilizer.  Provincial and Federal politics have been nothing short of a soap opera fit for prime time – at times.  And if there is a chapter waiting to be written, I have little doubt it will be about the global economy.  As gold approaches $1000/oz and recent quarterly reports place more downward pressure on indices, this latest chapter is certain to captivate a wide audience for months to come. 

Governments are scrambling to impress to their constituents that they are responding with appropriate policy that will lead us out of a contracting global economy.  Truthfully, we were all caught off guard.  Business, employees, and government have all been yanked out of the bull market honeymoon.  As businesses and governments in most modern economies have woken up from this honeymoon hung over and feeling hard done by; those of us in agriculture feel as if we can intimately understand.  The experience of the average Saskatchewan farmer often lends over thirty years of hard lessons in marketing, finance, and speculation.  Similar to how I draw on others' lessons on my own farm, APAS needs to draw on yours.

                Agriculture at the turn of the twenty first century has already written an incredible story.  Regrettably, producers have had little of their own to add.  Most of what has been written has been by others:  closed borders, constipated freight regulation, restrictions on pesticide imports, forgettable crop insurance programs, and an incomplete national agricultural policy.  Our new chapter in history is waiting to be written.  Put your experience to work.   Help us write our own story, support APAS.

Shawn Bourgeois
APAS Director District #2
www.APAS.ca