A former Saskatchewan agriculture minister who now wants to lead the NDP says he would return spot loss hail to the crop insurance program.
Dwain Lingenfelter, who left politics in 2000, said his agricultural and rural policy is based on what farmers and rural people have told him.
“We hear that over and over again,” he said of spot loss hail coverage.
Lingenfelter has spent considerable time in rural Saskatchewan recently, where he said he has a broad base of support even though the Saskatchewan Party holds all the seats.
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He is still involved in three Saskatchewan farms – a grain operation near Regina that he rents out, an organic farm at Frontier operated by a local family and the family grain and beef farm near Shaunavon where he grew up and that he still operates. As well, he and his wife have a small farm where they grow beans and corn.
“I go through the same pain” as the farmers he would like to represent, Lingenfelter said.
“You put all that money on the table with little or no guarantee.”
Fertilizer prices are one cause of that pain. Lingenfelter said he would like to know why prices remain so high when natural gas prices have dropped. He said there should be an investigation into whether companies are gouging farmers this spring.
He is also concerned about how the recent power rate increase affects farmers, particularly those with intensive livestock operations and large grain drying systems.
He believes the government should help farmers form surface rights associations.
Lingenfelter, who had been an executive with Calgary oil company Nexen since resigning from politics, said the playing field has to be balanced.
“I know how fast oil activity happens,” he said.
“This is the first time individual farmers have come face to face with large oil companies in some cases.”
He also favours a program to support senior citizen centres, recreation and community halls and skating rinks that face significant utility costs.
“We think that would be a not very expensive program.”
While agriculture minister, Lingenfelter had an occasionally testy relationship with Ottawa.
He said the province needs a stronger voice there with respect to trade issues that affect farmers.
At the same time, the province has to be firm.
“I think it’s not a bad idea to play a tough hand with Ottawa,” he said.
