Goodrich farms near Hardisty, Alta. He provided this copy of a recent letter to the Alberta agriculture minister and various MPs and MLAs.
My name is Darcy Goodrich, and with my wife and children I ranch southwest of Hardisty. We run a cow-calf and seedstock operation and custom graze yearlings.
I am writing about the impression being given by our government concerning its interest in supporting agriculture. I recently learned of the government’s decision to discontinue funding and support for crop research varietal trials. This frustrates me, to say the least.
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If you can offer a simple, straightforward answer, please do. I see absolutely no reason why Alberta Agriculture would see these trials as being useless, misdirected, improperly conducted or whatever the case may be, that would compel them to pull their support. Can you?
Research trials have long been regarded as an essential tool in crop selection for the upcoming growing season. They are a powerful tool for progressive producers in their business planning, and the main force behind that was that they were impartial, real-life trials conducted by some of the finest experts in agriculture, our very own extension services staff.
What better professionals could you have planning, co-ordinating and executing such valuable research? I have used the Ag Info Center in Stettler dozens of times, and numerous other extension specialists around the province for advice, knowledge and wisdom.
I cannot think of any time when I was not satisfied with the help and assistance provided by Alberta Agriculture extension staff, be it beef, forage, nutrition, crop or economic specialists.
To have absolute all-stars, for lack of a better term, at the forefront of an entity built to support and improve agriculture, and then continually remove their funding and support, is a blatant contradiction in terms. I’d liken it to accessorizing a brand new pickup with all the bells and whistles and then expecting it to perform at peak production on an empty fuel tank.
In my opinion, the whole government body associated with our great agriculture industry is flawed from top to bottom.
From regulatory bodies to support staff, things seem to be going in the opposite direction of what grassroots producers need, not just want.
So much funding keeps going into regulating this and that, while the people and departments that work hand in hand with producers on a daily basis – the rural extension services – are obviously being pressured to do more with less.
If Alberta Agriculture wants to really help producers, it certainly does not show it by pulling funding from things like research trials and other research activities.
I hear the same concerns from producers through our grazing club meetings and various events around the area.
