General farm group asks if it should pass its own beef resolutions independent of Manitoba Beef Producers
Manitoba’s general farm organization is struggling to define its relationship with the province’s beef sector.
Keystone Agricultural Producers debated at a recent meeting whether it represents cow-calf producers on beef issues and if it should it leave that role to Manitoba Beef Producers.
Questions also involved whether MBP should take the lead on cattle and beef issues and work side-by-side with KAP or just do its own thing and let KAP do its own thing.
Those questions bedeviled a resolution debate at KAP’s annual convention, highlighting the confused situation between the organizations and the struggle KAP has in representing its thousands of members who own cattle.
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“We don’t know what the cattle producers (association) are doing,” KAP vice-president Curtis McRae said during the resolution discussion, which focused on KAP considering trying to connect Manitoba meat with Manitoba food retailers.
Manitoba’s provincial cattle producer organization has not been a member of KAP for years, although most of Manitoba’s other livestock industries belong.
MBP board member David Koslowsky, who attended the KAP convention as an observer, said his association was going to debate the local meat promotion issue Feb. 5 and 6.
“We are working on this exact resolution at our annual meeting next week,” he said.
The resolution was discussed for about 15 minutes, but in the end was shunted off to committee because of a number of questions and complexities raised by KAP delegates.
Many of the delegates talked about the confusion over KAP’s role in representing cattle producers.
“Until they arrive at this meeting, we run independently,” said one KAP delegate.
“Too bad they don’t want to be here. That’s their problem.”
However, Manitoba Corn Growers Association representative Theresa Bergsma cautioned KAP that it needed to be careful to not overreach when it comes to product-specific issues.
“Are those commodity groups (that represent livestock producers) already involved in this? I don’t think KAP should be stepping in until those commodity groups have been asked,” she said.
“If they want us to work with them, that’s great. We’ve got to be careful not to step over really what’s their role.”
MBP’s absence in KAP has often surfaced as an issue at KAP meetings, with some KAP members saying MBP’s absence weakens KAP and weakens the voice of Manitoba farmers who own cattle.
However, MBP has shown little interest in rejoining the general farm group.
KAP delegates eventually tabled the issue so that the organization’s leaders can sort it out.
ed.white@producer.com
