The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association says it needs more money to address environmental concerns and defend trade issues.
“We’re often the first to feel the impact of these issues,” said Jeff Warrack, president of the cattle feeders association, which represents 250 members.
“We’ve done a lot of good things for the industry, but it all costs money.”
The association is heavily involved in writing new manure management regulations and water quality programs, and organizing an upcoming cattle summit in Idaho at the end of the month.
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Warrack said that in order to remain effective, the association needs more money, and that must be raised through increased membership fees or an agreement with the Alberta Cattle Commission.
Membership fees are 10 cents per standing head capacity to a maximum of $2,500.
The cattle commission collects $2 per animal sold in the province, which has given it revenues of just over $10 million this year. The cattle feeders estimate their check-off contribution is $3.5 million.
Money collected by the commission is earmarked mostly for beef promotion, education, research and market development programs.
While sympathetic to the cattle feeders’ need for extra money, the commission is reluctant to fund administration.
However, commission chair Jim Turner said the cattle feeders would receive a fair hearing if they requested money for specific projects.
“We would have to look at each project’s merit,” he said.
“They’ve definitely got a funding concern and we have been talking for the last six or seven months to try and resolve it. We’ll continue to talk.”
He said the commission does not want to set a precedent by funding one producer group when it is supposed to represent the entire industry, from cow-calf producers to feedlots.
It addressed this diversity four years ago by changing its structure, which now has elected delegates from nine zones as well as representatives from the cattle feeders association, Western Stock Growers Association and Alberta Milk Producers Association.
This structure makes it difficult to share money with producer groups, said a spokesperson for the Alberta Agriculture Products Marketing Council, which governs all boards and commissions in the province.
“The cattle commission is not set up to segregate funds,” said Christine Anderson.
“If they are to do that, it would probably require an amendment to their regulations.”
Producers must agree on changes to the regulations. The last amendment was an increase in the service fee to $2 from $1.50 per animal sold.
