Farm income was a dominant theme when Manitoba producers gathered in Winnipeg last week to tackle issues in agriculture.
While acknowledging their current difficulties, farmers at the annual meeting of Keystone Agricultural Producers were also intent on putting forward solutions.
Dozens of resolutions were debated and many of them dealt with ideas for improving farm income, including a national food tax and lobbying for government programs and policies that encourage the development of alternative energies and value-added enterprises.
“This year, the emphasis was on getting back the tools to make money and regaining power in the market,” said Dan Mazier, a producer from Justice, Man., who was encouraged by the general thrust of the meeting.
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“A lot of it is about empowering farmers and people.”
In an interview after the meeting, KAP president David Rolfe said there are reasons to be optimistic about the longer-term outlook for farming in Manitoba: plans have emerged for increased livestock slaughter; alternative energy development is taking hold and governments are examining how farmers can be rewarded financially for farming practices that are good for the environment and the general public.
However, Rolfe said the difficulties cannot be overlooked and there needs to be greater government commitment to producers in the short term. KAP considers the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization program to be flawed and is looking for alternatives that would be more responsive and predictable.
“We need a commitment from government that if things do not turn around, that they are going to be there for producers over and above CAIS. Unless there’s a huge turnaround in commodity prices and a collapse in energy prices, I think times are going to be extremely tough going into 2006 and beyond.”
A food tax was put forward as a potential source of money to stabilize the incomes of farmers in Canada, but its proponents are not certain how to make such a proposal acceptable to the general public.
“That’s going to be the biggest challenges,” Mazier said.
Among the ideas floated at the KAP meeting in Winnipeg was to present the levy as compensation to farmers for their efforts in food safety programs and their role in protecting and conserving the environment.
Rolfe said government and producers need to realize that primary crop and livestock production can no longer be counted on as the only source of farm income. Although producers are embracing food safety and environmental programs that benefit the public, they are seeing little reward for these activities.
“We just simply do not have any margin left in agriculture to be able to afford to do that,” Rolfe said. “It’s just driving everybody to the wall.”
Quebec farm leader Laurent Pellerin spoke during the KAP meeting about the need for farmers to work together. He cited producer investment in slaughter plants and the establishment of a quota system for maple syrup in Quebec as examples of how producers are gaining more clout.
“If we don’t do the effort as farmers to organize our marketing, and do the best effort to capture from the market the larger share of our incomes, it’s very difficult to come back in front of government asking for money or for more money.”
