FARGO, N.D. – His white hair was tousled, his complexion a bit weathered, his shoulders bent from the combination of age and a life of work on the farm.
Kelly Shockman, a North Dakota farmer and National Farmers Organization national director, was among those gathered in Fargo last week for the Northern Plains Producer Conference.
He liked a lot of what he heard, but said not enough thought was given to commodity prices. And although pleased with the amount of dialogue, the grandfatherly figure said a plan to improve commodity prices must come soon.
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“A lot of farmers in my area will not be here for another conference,” he said after discussions among farm groups and legislators from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Minnesota.
The politicians and producer groups met in Fargo last week hoping to gather ideas for closer co-operation in the region. Ideas were sought to resolve some of the trade tensions.
The politicians promised farm delegates the conference was more than a goodwill gesture. They vowed action on the ideas and issues presented, but encouraged producers to do their part as well.
“There are a lot of things that can be done at the state and producer levels as well as at the federal level,” said Roger Johnson, North Dakota’s agriculture commissioner.
Proposed solutions
By the close of the conference, dozens of ideas were gathered on how to improve cross-border co-operation while easing trade tensions. Those ideas included:
- Standardizing veterinary regulations to improve the cross-border trade of livestock.
- Standardizing chemical regulations, with some suggesting a meshing of Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency. It was hoped if a chemical company could get a product registered in both countries at the same time, the cost would be lower.
- Improving government safety nets for livestock and crop producers.
- Establishing producer advisory groups that could give input on cross-border issues.
- Creating policies for genetically modified organisms based on whether niche markets may exist for modified crops, but also based on the level of consumer acceptance for those crops.
- Removing barriers, including legislative ones, that interfere with the creation of new generation co-operatives.
Co-operation advised
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Dwain Lingenfelter said state and provincial officials can work together to remove barriers to new generation co-operatives that straddle the border.
Lingenfelter said last week’s conference shows Ottawa and the American government that the region wants to do more processing of its raw products, “rather than being divided and conquered.”
Manitoba agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk underscored the similarities between Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the three northern tier states represented at the conference.
Farmers throughout the area are concerned about distance from markets and transportation costs. They are also similar in that they grow high quality crops in similar climates and soils, she said.
“We may not always agree on the issues, but I believe we can find common ground.”
The provincial and state legislators will review the ideas and issues that arose from the conference.
Minnesota agriculture commissioner Gene Hugoson said the conference was not meant to gain consensus on every issue brought forward. Part of the goal, he said, was to understand the differences of opinion.
