Momentum appears to be building for the creation of a provincial wheat checkoff in Manitoba.
James Battershill, policy analyst with Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the formation of a province-wide wheat checkoff is one of the issues being examined by an ad hoc KAP committee chaired by former president Don Dewar.
The committee will examine what steps must be taken to establish a province-wide wheat levy and what role, if any, KAP could play in administrating the new checkoff.
Dewar also sits on a federal working group that is examining new funding models for agricultural research in Canada.
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“We are investigating (the idea),” said Battershill.
“One of the concerns that we have is that if things happen at the provincial level and eventually a federal (wheat research) organization is put together… Manitoba definitely wants to be at the table and be involved those initial discussions….”
In Alberta, work is continuing on the creation of a provincial all-wheat commission that would collect a levy of 70 cents per tonne on all types of wheat produced in the province.
Kent Erickson, an Irma, Alta., farmer who co-chairs a committee in charge of the Alberta commission, said efforts are progressing and the committee is still hoping to have a provincial commission in place by Aug. 1.
Prairie growers already pay a 30 cent per tonne levy on wheat sales made through the Canadian Wheat Board.
Alberta’s proposed 70 cent per tonne levy would be an additional checkoff, bringing the total checkoff in Alberta to $1 per tonne.
In Saskatchewan, Western Canadian Wheat Growers director Gerrid Gust said the idea of a provincial wheat levy has been discussed, but so far little action has been taken.
Gust, who farms near Davidson, Sask., said the WCWG passed a resolution at its recent annual meeting in Moose Jaw, Sask., calling for the organization to examine the merits of a provincial checkoff.
Gust said WCWG representatives are planning to meet with stakeholders from the winter wheat industry to discuss the merits of a Saskatchewan all-wheat commission.
Establishing provincial wheat commissions in all three prairie provinces could pave the way for the creation of a regional or national wheat council that could identify research priorities across Canada, eliminate duplication and ensure the most efficient use of producers’ investment dollars.
Gust said existing research funding organizations such as the Western Grains Research Foundation have a long history in Western Canada and enjoy strong support among western grain growers. The role of the WGRF should be a key consideration in any discussions about future funding programs, he added.
In Manitoba, Battershill said KAP president Doug Chorney has already spoken with the province about establishing a wheat checkoff.
KAP is also working with other commodity groups in Manitoba to determine the best course of action.
“… we’re definitely looking at the idea and we definitely want to be at the table with Alberta and Saskatchewan on this,” he said. “We’d like to be caught up with those provinces as soon as possible.”
