EDMONTON – Alberta cattle feeders will have a larger presence in the province’s largest cattle organization.
Alberta Beef Producers delegates voted to create a cattle feeder council as part of the organization to give the feedlot industry a bigger voice.
In addition to delegates from each of the nine zones across the province, 13 additional delegates with a special interest in feeding cattle will be elected this fall.
The change comes after two years of often-heated debate over the level of cattle feeder representation on the Alberta Beef Producers board, formerly known as the Alberta Cattle Commission.
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“Ten producers got together in a room and said, ‘what do we have to do to address the concerns that have been raised and what are the concepts that might do that,’ ” said Arno Doerksen, chair of Alberta Beef Producers. “We agreed this was the right move for the time.”
Election rather than appointment of feeder delegates was key for Doerksen.
“One of the strengths of the proposal is that it remains democratic. All producers have an opportunity to elect the delegates to the Alberta Beef Producers, including the feeder council, which is part of the organization.”
Under the new plan, 13 delegates will be elected at fall producer meetings. They will include one in each of the nine zones, one additional delegate in zones one and three, and two additional delegates in zone two. Southern Alberta’s major cattle feeding area gets the extra representation.
Producers who want to represent the feeding sector will indicate it when they file nomination papers. Cattle feeder council delegates will have the same responsibilities and privileges as other delegates and the feeder council will elect three members to the beef producers’ board.
Jeff Warrack is head of the group that lobbied for changes to the Alberta Beef Producers’ organization. He said the election of extra delegates is not what members originally sought, but it’s a beginning.
“What’s being implemented today certainly isn’t a reflection of all the feedback, but it’s a pretty good start,” said Warrack, who owns a feedlot near Strathmore, Alta.
“We felt it was important to have industry representation at our association levels, not just primary production, not just the ranchers. They’ve recognized the cattle feeding industry should be at the table.”
The two sides have also agreed to establish a forum to allow other cattle interest groups to have input on the board.
“The whole purpose of the feeder cattle initiative was to create a broader industry association, one that made sure we had representation from the entire production chain,” Warrack said.
Alberta Beef Producers has a $10 million annual budget from the $2 per animal checkoff. Doerksen said some of that money could be dedicated to cattle feeding issues.
