Left to right: Norm Hall, APAS; Lynn Jacobson, WRAP; Doug Chorney, KAP.
Last week, farm leaders met in Edmonton to discuss agricultural issues of interest to prairie farmers. Attending the discussions were leaders from the Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba (KAP), the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS), and Alberta’s Wild Rose Agricultural Producers (WRAP).
A key topic on the agenda was the federal government’s next suite of agricultural programs – Growing Forward 2 (GF2) – slated to be launched in April 2013. “It is important that producers play a role in shaping what these programs will look like,” stated Lynn Jacobson, the newly-elected President of WRAP. “Ongoing producer consultations in the months ahead in conjunction with the timely implementation of GF2 will provide some much needed stability to the industry.”
Funding for the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) and the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI) is also of importance to producers in all three Prairie Provinces according to Norm Hall, President of APAS. “With the August 2012 changes to the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), we cannot afford to lose sight of the need for solid research to ensure that Canadian grains remain competitive in the world market,” Hall said. “Sustainable funding levels for these organizations should be assured.”
Doug Chorney, KAP President, noted, “Producer payment security under the Canada Grain Act is an area that may present opportunities for improvement in the future. However, until such time as something superior can be developed, the existing system needs to stay in place.”
APAS, KAP and WRAP will continue to work together to provide a unified voice for agriculture and to highlight the issues that are important to Prairie farmers.
