An increase in membership fees at Farmers of North America is ruffling the feathers of some of the group’s original members.
Effective March 1, 2009, a new member will pay $625 a year while founding members will pay around $400.
One of the first to join a decade ago was Bob Guest, a 1,500 acre grain and cattle farmer at Denholm, Sask.
He said incoming members were enticed to join with the promise that their annual fees of $150 would remain unchanged.
“We were putting in time to get an organization up and running,” he said.
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Guest doubts he will keep his membership at the new price, feeling there are no longer enough benefits for smaller farmers like him.
“I’m a little disappointed in them.”
Glenn Caleval, executive consultant with FNA, said the increase is the first one implemented since the group formed in 1990.
“It was always understood it was a policy, not a guarantee,” he said.
Caleval said FNA has grown to 8,000 members and expanded its workload, staff and product lines substantially. As a result, he added, it needs to generate more revenue through fees.
He said FNA is a “worthwhile investment” that offers more products and greater value to its members than it did in its infancy.
Incoming members can expect a five percent discount in fees annually to a maximum of 25 percent.
