Keystone Agricultural Producers’ 32nd annual meeting concluded after the passing of 19 resolutions, including a call to the federal government for a universal producer payment security program for all commodities.
As well, delegates passed two resolutions addressing poor rural cell-phone service. Rural Manitobans, said many delegates, pay the same price for cell service as others in the province, but receiver substandard service due to a lack of towers or poor signals.
Delegates also called for Manitoba Hydro upgrades that will meet the needs of modern agriculture – at a reasonable cost. Some used the example of a farmer who couldn’t use his welder to fix farm equipment while his children had the computer turned on.
Other resolutions addressed inadequate flood compensation as a result of the 2014 flood, taxes on family farm land transfers, the need for forage research to address soil salinity, and understaffing at Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
During the meeting, Dan Mazier was acclaimed as president. A farmer from Justice, he served his first term in the position last year and was vice-president before that. Justin Jenner, a Minnedosa farmer, and Glenn Young, a producer from Cypress River, were acclaimed as vice-presidents.
