WESTEROSE, Alta. – The 4-H Foundation of Alberta is responding to criticism of how it distributed donated money to feed-short farmers hurt by last summer’s drought.
Bruce Banks, executive director of the provincial 4-H foundation, said it was not an easy task. The foundation had control of $932,000 raised through a combination of donations and Say Hay benefit concerts.
Using 4-H contacts, Banks invited 10 producers from the hardest hit area to sit on a committee to devise a process to distribute the money, and then to rate each of the 1,604 applications based on a points system.
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“I don’t think it was an easy process, but I think it was a fair process,” said Banks. He said the point system was designed to give equal weight to producers with 15 animals or 250.
If a producer had decreased herd size by 10 percent or more, he was given two points. If he had sufficient land to support his breeding animals, he was given a point. If he
didn’t normally buy feed, he was given a point.
“The whole idea behind this was to help people who had been trying to help themselves,” said Banks.
“Not everyone is going to agree with this, but we thought it was the fairest way to help people who have helped themselves.”
Most applications came from east-central Alberta in an area from Viking to Lloydminster, Hanna, Wainwright and into the Barrhead region. That’s also where the committee members were drawn from. Banks would not reveal the names of committee members, saying he knew the decisions would be controversial.
In assessing the applicants, the committee looked for producers with at least half their feed already on hand, and at actions producers had taken to secure alternative feed.
“We even had some people move their calving season from January to April. All of those things were looked at as being proactive in terms of helping themselves,” Banks said.
Those who scored seven points or higher were awarded a grant for feed or transportation for 25 percent of their invoices to a maximum of $1,000 to $1,750. If there is any money left in May, the committee will look at the people who scored six and lower.
The foundation has mailed out cheques representing about 15 percent of the money to be allocated.
Donna McBain said she thought she and her husband would receive money to help buy feed.
They live in Hanna, one of the driest areas of the province. They make their entire living off their 80-head horse ranch and they are unable to work off the ranch to supplement their income.
“I think we’re in one of the hardest hit areas,” said McBain, who was shocked to receive a letter from the foundation stating they weren’t one of the 804 producers selected to receive a grant to help buy feed.
McBain questioned how people were chosen to receive the grants.
Banks said the 4-H foundation agreed to administer the distribution of the money because earlier the Say Hay committee had donated $100,000 to a Feed for 4-H program to help 2,000 club members offset the increased cost of feed.
An average member with a steer project would have received about $125.
“We didn’t do it for the glory. We felt we needed to give something back to the community,” Banks said.
“We think we’ve treated everyone fairly. We don’t think we’ve made mistakes.”
