Greg Marshall understands why farmers question whether the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan speaks for them.
Several years of internal strife stopped the young general farm organization’s momentum, and each time it said it was back on track something happened to throw it off course.
“Most of the RMs have been questioning whether we really have got it fixed or not,” admitted Marshall, who has served as president for the last year.
Farmers are represented in APAS by rural municipalities that join the organization.
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When Marshall was elected a year ago, he said the board was united and ready to go forward.
The board had been downsized and most of the annual general meeting was conducted behind closed doors.
At the recent winter midterm in Regina – the annual general meeting has been moved to late March – none of the tension that marked previous meetings was evident, and the entire meeting was open to
visitors.
“I was really encouraged by the mood,” Marshall said. “Everybody felt better about things and they left willing to go to work. One rep wrote me and said he has left the last couple of years wondering why the hell he was there. Those are his words. Now he’s confident things are back on track.”
However, the organization still has a long way to go.
Membership is about half of what it used to be; only 67 of the province’s 296 RMs have paid memberships. APAS relies on funding from member RMs based on their assessments.
Other RMS have indicated they are willing to rejoin but not until next year.
“We’re going to have some worrisome months,” he said.
The organization has trimmed costs and is operating with a small staff. Marshall has asked all representatives to talk to RMs that aren’t members to try to build a broader membership base.
He said people who still doubt APAS’s ability should talk to those who attended the midterm meeting, including guests from other groups APAS works with on issues.
“I’m the wrong person to ask because the proof has to be in a third party,” he said.
The annual general meeting is set for March 22-24 in Regina.
