Vacancy hurts high value crop, say producers Former specialist promoted two years ago but not yet replaced; others are filling in
Manitoba Agriculture needs to fill a long neglected job vacancy, says a provincial farm group.
The Manitoba Pulse Growers Association wants the province to hire a new pulse crop specialist to replace the one who got promoted more than two years ago.
“I would like to see that position filled as soon as possible,” said MPGA president Kyle Friesen. “The government has told us it’s a priority, but we’re not seeing a lot of action to back that up.”
Dennis Lange briefly filled the vacancy between June and December 2011, but left the position to become a farm production adviser in his hometown of Altona, Man.
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Lange and former provincial pulse crop specialist Bruce Brolley are both handling some of the duties, but neither can devote their full attention to the job because of their other responsibilities.
Friesen said producers deserve to have a full-time person in that important role.
Jodee Mason, press secretary to cabinet, provided an e-mail response, saying Manitoba Agriculture and the minister are committed to filling the position.
“Recruitment into this position has not been as quick as everyone would have liked, but we are actively working on filling this vacancy,” she wrote.
“The former pulse specialist is still with MAFRI, just in a different capacity, so his knowledge and expertise are still widely available.”
Beans are the primary pulse crop grown in the province. They are a small-acre but high-value crop that has contributed $39 to $63 million to Manitoba’s annual farm cash receipts over the past five years.
Dry beans don’t receive as much industry support as larger acreage crops.
“We rely more on the government resource people to help provide support for production of dry beans,” said Friesen.
One of the duties of the provincial pulse crop specialist was to put together bean yield trial data for the annual Seed Manitoba guide, which provides crucial information for growers.
“If we don’t have a pulse specialist in place, a lot of that data won’t get compiled and won’t get published,” he said.
The association has raised its concerns in letters and face-to-face meetings with agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn.
“I know he has got a lot on his plate, but it’s something we’ve been waiting on for two years and it’s fairly straightforward,” said MPGA acting executive director Michael Reimer.
“It’s not a new position, it is just filling in a position that already exists. I’m not too sure what the holdup is.”
Reimer noted that beans fit in nicely with the province’s TomorrowNow eight-year plan for protecting the environment because pulses fix their own nitrogen. They’re also well suited to the province’s health initiatives.
