Work is continuing to establish new wheat and barley commissions in Saskatchewan.
Cory Kolt, media relations officer with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said department officials will be making an announcement about the proposed commissions in the near future.
“The ministry at this point is not in a position to comment further but we do expect to be ready very soon,” Kolt said in late August.
Sources close to the process say the province is expected to announce the formation of two steering committees — one for wheat and one for barley.
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Each steering committee is expected to consist of five members, with representatives from farm organizations, commodity groups and government.
The steering committees will consult with Saskatchewan farmers, secure grower support and promote the idea of establishing permanent wheat and barley commissions in the province.
The steering committees will also establish bylaws and operating procedures for the commissions, set check-off rates and serve as interim board members until commission elections can be held.
Work to establish a provincial wheat commission began earlier this year when the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan passed a resolution in March proposing that APAS spearhead efforts to establish a new commission.
APAS members felt that legislative changes affecting CWB would leave a void in the areas of wheat research, grain quality, market development, product branding and farmer advocacy.
The formation of a provincial wheat commission was intended to address these concerns and ensure that organizations such as the Western Grains Research Foundation and the Canadian International Grains Institute had stable funding.
Since then, the province has stepped in to spearhead the efforts.
Norm Hall, president of APAS, said his organization is waiting for the province to get the ball rolling.
After the province announces its plans, it could take another year or two to establish permanent commissions, he said.
“Back in February or March, I was saying it would take 18 months to 30 months to get things going,” Hall said. “At this point, I would say it will take an absolute minimum of 12 months, if not a full 24 months, until things are up and running.”
Hall said the new commissions would most likely begin collecting producer levies at the beginning of the 2013-14 or 2014-15 crop year.
