MOOSE JAW, Sask. (Staff) – In an attempt to ward off possible conflicts of interest in Saskatchewan’s loan guarantee program for cattle, the province has asked board members of producer associations to become more involved.
There are approximately 250 feeder and breeder associations that buy cattle on behalf of their members with the help of loan guarantees from the province.
Blake Kohls, one of the loan program’s provincial supervisors, told a regional meeting here last week that authorized loans for these groups totalled nearly $164 million as of Aug. 31.
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Cattle purchased
Since the feeder program was started in 1984, about 657,000 cattle worth $436 million have been purchased, Kohls said. Seventy-five percent of these purchases have occurred in the last four years.
The breeder program began in 1991, and since then 58,000 head have been purchased at an average cost of $1,000.
Kohls told representatives of associations from south central Saskatchewan that the province wants more involvement from board members in transactions to prevent conflicts of interest from arising.
He said a board member, the local supervisor and the board secretary should all sign each schedule.
“Make sure you are independent of the transaction,” Kohls said.
Both he and program manager Merv Ross said pre-signing of documents is not allowed.
Some in attendance said obtaining a board member’s signature on paperwork would be time consuming, while others said their boards were already following this procedure.
