The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association’s fall district meeting dates will change after the membership passed a resolution at their recent annual meeting.
The meetings have generally been held in late October since the organization was formed, but resolutions to change that have come to the AGM almost every year without success.
This year, however, members approved moving the meetings to the first week of December to avoid the fall calf run.
- A resolution to publish a list of cattle producers who request a refund of their provincial checkoff was struck from the list for discussion at the SCA meeting. The organization operates under the Agri-Food Act, which doesn’t allow such a move.
- Saskatchewan cattle producers want more action from the RCMP when they report cattle thefts.Producers say cattle are worth more now and thefts are on the rise, yet RCMP members don’t always know what to do. One producer at the meeting said many detachments don’t disseminate the information.“A dedicated RCMP officer who would contact a local detachment goes a lot farther than a producer phoning his local RCMP detachment regarding a theft because RCMP officers listen to RCMP officers,” added SCA chair Bill Jameson.Murray McGillivray of Radville said there were dedicated officers in the 1970s, and producers were satisfied with the service.
- Compensation for calves lost to predators should be increased, producers say. Saskatchewan offers $400 for calves less than 300 pounds, but SCA director Arnold Balicki said that is “grossly inadequate at today’s market values.”The cost of raising a cow without earning income from its calf is about $600, according to Western Beef Development Centre research, and producers passed a resolution calling for the minimum payment to be $650.
- SCA members also passed resolutions that the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association endorsed at its semi-annual meeting, including support for a livestock and forage centre of excellence at the University of Saskatchewan, more money for producers who have completed Verified Beef Program audits, and that the proceeds of any agricultural assets sold bythe U of S be directed toward agricultural research. The SCA also wants continued funding of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association.
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