Just four days after his election as president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, Ken McBride was scheduled to board a flight to Hong Kong.
There, he will be briefed on trade issues and meet with some of his counterparts before attending World Trade Organization negotiations.
“We’re looking at a turning point here,” he said in a Dec. 5 interview.
Aside from trying to persuade other countries to give up subsidies, Canada has to make sure it doesn’t give everything away, he said.
Read Also
Dennis Laycraft to be inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame
Dennis Laycraft, a champion for the beef industry, will be inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame this fall.
“We have to make sure we get the best deal we can.”
Joining McBride on the trip will be re-elected vice-president Dave Brown of Kyle.
McBride is a grains and oilseeds producer from Kindersley who replaces Terry Hildebrandt, president for the organization’s first five years. Hildebrandt stepped down to help his son with a new business.
“I really appreciate the job that Terry did,” McBride said. “I thought it was my turn to step up to the plate.”
McBride has spent more than 20 years on the council of the Rural Municipality of Newcombe. The RM did not join APAS when it first formed, but sent McBride as an observer to the annual meeting. McBride said that meeting convinced him of the value of a general farm organization in Saskatchewan.
He believes APAS has built itself into a credible organization since 2000 and said he has no immediate plans to steer it in a different direction because it is not a one-person or a top-down organization. He hopes APAS can work toward finding ways to encourage young people to farm and help older people retire.
“We have to get more value back into primary producers’ pockets,” he said. “I have a son who would dearly love to farm but the opportunities are not the same as when I started farming.”
McBride has always worked off-farm jobs while farming. Right now, he drives a school bus.
Kerry Holderness from Quill Lake is the new vice-president on the executive, replacing Cecilia Olver.
Hildebrandt said he leaves APAS in good hands with new people stepping forward. He said his personal goal was to sign up at least half of the 297 RMs and he was disappointed that he fell short. About 124 municipalities have joined and Hildebrandt said they have created a strong foundation.
Hildebrandt will remain the APAS representative from his RM.
