Oat growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are being asked whether they support having a checkoff for the crop.
Those promoting the fee say it is needed if farmers want their voices heard on oat production and marketing research, and on government policies affecting the oat industry.
“If one province goes (ahead with the checkoff) it will be the life preserver that allows us to float and get moving again,” said Al Loyns, president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association. “Without it, we could be in some trouble.”
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Oat growers in Saskatchewan are being asked to give their views on a checkoff through a questionnaire inserted in the April 7 issue of the Western Producer.
In Manitoba, growers were sent ballots, which are due back to the Agricultural Producers’ Organization Certification Agency by April 23. For the checkoff to move ahead in that province, at least 60 percent of the retuned ballots must be in favour.
In Saskatchewan, the government requires groups wanting a checkoff to survey farmers growing the crop that it would be applied to. The Saskatchewan Agri-Food Council uses the survey results when determining whether to recommend approving the checkoff.
Unlike the vote being held in Manitoba, there is no specific percentage of oat grower support that needs to be achieved, since Saskatchewan Crop Insurance did not agree to send out ballots to producers identified through its insurance records as oat growers. Without that, it would be difficult to get an accurate list of eligible farmers. Manitoba Crop Insurance is distributing the ballots in Manitoba based on its records of insured growers, but the names on that list are kept confidential. According to POGA, the oat industry has lost two public oat breeders during the past two years and most agronomic research on oats on the Prairies has ceased.
With the reduction in federal funding for oat breeding and research, the development of improved oat varieties could be jeopardized, said Greg Downie, a Manitoba director for POGA. He noted that producer money could help leverage more research dollars from the government.
Of the $800,000 that a checkoff could potentially raise each year, at least three-quarters of the money would be for research.
“It’s really important to have a voice at the table,” said Downie, who farms near Wawanesa. “The only way to get a voice is to have money in hand.”
The proposed checkoff is for 50 cents per tonne on commercial sales of oats. It would be capped at $250 per year for each producer.
Producers who contribute to the checkoff could request a refund.
Ottawa announced this winter that it will close its cereal research centre in Winnipeg within two years. The centre is a hub of oat breeding for the Prairies.
Loyns said the lobbying efforts of POGA helped gain assurances that research done there would be relocated, with the possibility of increased government spending.
“We are now starting to get the assurances we need that the oat program is not going to be terminated,” Loyns said. “That would not happen without people barking up the public policy tree.”
In a vote last year on a checkoff for oats in Manitoba, more than 50 percent of the ballots returned were in favour, Downie said. That fell short of the 60 percent needed.
Close to a dozen meetings were held with Manitoba producers this winter to again promote the idea. There was strong support from those who attended, Loyns said.
POGA also has held meetings and done surveys in Saskatchewan to gauge producer interest.
