WAINWRIGHT, Alta. – In a local bar surrounded by beer posters and video lottery terminals, Alberta’s farm women’s organization voted to fold after 85 years.
“It’s with great anxiety I propose this resolution,” said Verna Kett of Wainwright a former president of the Women of Unifarm.
“I think we should disband with dignity and hold our heads high for what we’ve done,” said Kett, whose grandmother was a founding member and whose mother was also an active member.
“I can see no way to continue on with it.”
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An aging membership, little money and a recent rejection by the federal government for funds to run a farm safety project all combined to end the organization.
For the past few years Women of Unifarm has limped along. The provincial organization survived by carrying out provincial or federal government-funded projects and with small amounts of money from the local Women of Unifarm chapters around the province.
“The last couple years have been really difficult,” said board secretary Shirley Dyck, the only employee of the farm organization, who will now be out of a job.
In 1996 when the provincial farm organization Unifarm was disbanded and the Wild Rose Agricultural Producers formed to replace it, there was no provision in its constitution to allow a member of a women’s organization on the board of directors.
This January at the Wild Rose convention, changes were made to allow women’s organizations to join them.
“It was just too late to go back to a general farm organization,” said Dyck who wondered who will now speak for farm women in Alberta.
Jenny Bocock of St. Albert put part of the blame on the provincial government, which has encouraged the formation of commodity groups with checkoff funding but wouldn’t allow a general farm organization to have that source of steady income.
“The government has split the organization into commodity groups instead of one umbrella group, yet they ask the umbrella groups for their opinion,” said Bocock.
By voting to end the organization Shirley Oro said she thought about pioneer women who worked hard to form the organization and lobbied for better rights.
“Today I’m feeling like I’m letting my ancestors down. My grandmother was in it, but when I look at the organization I realize the interest isn’t there. Without it we can go nowhere. We aren’t getting younger women. I hate to see it go down because we’ve done a lot of good for this province,” said Oro, of Lacombe. Her speech had most of the women in tears.
Rita Graumans of Seven Persons said she believes young farm women still need an organization that brings them together.
“I feel so sad for the young women who don’t feel the need for a women’s organization. To go to a ball game is different than sitting down with a group of women and talking about what’s going on on the farm. Support is so important. I don’t know where they will find that support.”
Progress made
Throughout the years, the organization has lobbied the government for safe drinking water, knit scarves for the “boys in the trenches,” raised money for aid to England and prisoners of war, created traveling libraries, sponsored agricultural fairs and exhibitions and recently worked to create safer farms.
“We’ve done a lot of good over the years,” said Florence Trautman of St. Albert. She was president of the group for the last four years. During her tenure the women voted to continue on their own when Unifarm ended.
“It’s almost a celebration and a relief,” said Trautman as she looked around at the women crying and hugging.
“Everyone doesn’t want to see it end, but we don’t have another recourse. Perhaps we’ve outlived our recourse.”
Added Rosemary Kenneth, of Barrhead: “I have worked for this organization for many years. I have believed in this organization, but I think you have to be practical. You can’t run an organization without money and without members.
“It breaks my heart to have to come to this.”
While the group had 150 members across the province, only a handful are active. Local chapters were unable to attract young farm women.
“The young women aren’t the type to sit around and knit and quilt like we used to,” said Francis Redmond, of Wainwright. “We’ve got to get into what they’re doing.”
Corinne Thompson of Viking one of the few farm women not close to retirement age at the meeting, said she finds it difficult to juggle all her commitments and finds her job as regional director for Women of Unifarm the easiest to push aside.
“I’m really busy on the farm and in the community and doing volunteer work. I haven’t been taking part (in Women of Unifarm) and can’t say ‘come on, keep it going,’ ” said Thompson.
Terry Lee Degenhardt, of Hughenden, a guest panelist at the meeting and not a member of the organization, was the only dissenting voice in the debate. She encouraged the women to keep going.
Degenhardt said there’s a Chinese saying that an army needs good spies to avoid war. Without spies to bring back key information, the only way to make change is by war.
“If we don’t have Women of Unifarm, who’s going to be the spies and will it take a war to make a change after they have folded? No one will pick up the issues that you will pick up.”
