Not one to mince words or shy away from a difficult situation, Jack Wilkinson delivered a challenge to Keystone Agriculture Producers’ annual meeting in Winnipeg.
Wilkinson, a former head of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, told delegates that conditions for farming in Canada were better than in most parts of the world and it was up to them to recognize the opportunities and move ahead in the business of agriculture.
Wilkinson’s free wheeling delivery style had delegates laughing at times but his message had a serious note.
“Producers in much of the world have difficulty organizing as a farm organization and there is fear by governments of farm groups becoming a political force,” he said. “Many times farmers are only organizing to get a better price from the marketplace.”
Wilkinson challenged delegates about the movement to a more open market system.
“Producers in other parts of the world are trying to unify, and yet in Canada we are moving to a more segmented marketplace,” he said. “Do you really think that individual farmers will do better than a unified force in the world markets?”
He suggested that producers should read the mission statements of the worlds largest grain companies, “It is to make a profit for their share holders not to give a better return to farmers, yet we are heading in that direction.”
The annual meeting also served as a steering session for the upcoming year, and while many of the same issues moved forward from 2008, the session set direction for 2009.
The meeting adapted 24 resolutions that were accepted as KAP policy. Several of the resolutions dealt with escalating fuel prices including one that calls for the organization to lobby government so that fuel dealers ensure that the 11.5 cent per liter tax saving is indeed past on to exempt purchases. Another resolution called for an investigation into the price discrepancy between crude oil and diesel fuel.
Livestock producers got an opportunity to voice their concerns, but the message was one that only reflected the bleak state of the industry.
A resolution requesting a tax deferral on income from sales due to herd liquidation and another dealing with COOL legislation were indications of the tough times in the livestock industry.
