GM's Report:: July 20 – September 21, 2010
July 20 – September 21, 2010
In terms of the “environment file”, President Marshall and the General Manager met with Dennis Sherratt to discuss the potential ALUS project with Delta Waterfowl. In addition, Nial Kuyek and Doug Faller met with Jeremy Pittman of the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority as follow-up to Tom Harrison’s participation in the August 2010 meeting of the Environment and Food Safety Committee.
The APAS 2010-2011 Corporate Partners Program was kicked off in late August with the mailing of letters to 17 potential sponsors. The President and General Manager will be doing follow-up with these potential sponsors before a second wave of letters is issued.
APAS held a news conference at Choice Family Meats in White City on September 15, 2010 to release the results of the 2010 Farmers’ Share project conducted with KAP and WRAP. Media coverage was extensive and favourable. Director Todd Lewis, Nial Kuyek, and Doug Faller met with Ralph Goodale, Member of Parliament for Regina Wascana, on September 17, 2010 to discuss agricultural issues of importance to Saskatchewan prior to the resumption of the House of Commons.
The partnership with Farmers of North America was finalized during this period and publicly announced at a District Meeting in Humboldt on August 16, 2010.
Doug Faller and Nial Kuyek finalized the Farm Contracts Research Project proposal for submission to the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program by the September 13, 2010 deadline. While the application was submitted by APAS, KAP, WRAP, and FNA-STAG are partners in the project.
President Marshall and Nial Kuyek were involved in several discussions with ACC Farmers Financial about the potential of a credit crunch and the Merchant Bank proposal. APAS and ACC collaborated on the organization of a very successful meeting held on August 11, 2010 involving all major Saskatchewan banks, Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan, FCC, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The meeting was held to assess the impact of the 2010 growing season on producers and to discuss whether or not this would result in a credit crunch for some producers for the 2011 crop and beyond.
Activities specific to the General Manager over this period included participation in the CFA Semi-annual Meeting, involvement in a conference call with the General Managers of KAP and WRAP, and participation in “Politics Aside: An Inside Look at Western Canada’s Grain Industry” organized by the Canadian Wheat Board and the Canadian International Grains Institute in Winnipeg on September 9 and 10, 2010