Mark Wartman:
Saskatchewan agriculture minister
Wartman says the Canadian government needs to resolve to give “equity in federal government programming” because right now Saskatchewan is paying many times more to fund programs such as Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization than any other province.
“Because of our large proportion of agriculture and our small proportion of population, every program that comes out 60-40 hits us too hard. We’d like the federal government to get some equity into the programs.”
As well, the federal government should resolve to bear the burden of catastrophic farm disaster payments by picking up 100 percent of the cost.
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“That would help to provide a healthy farm economy not just in Saskatchewan, but across the country.”
Profitable prices
Ken Ritter: Canadian Wheat Board chair
“Our New Year’s resolution is to get a valuable
world trade agreement for western Canadian farmers, to market as much of the crop as we possibly can given the crop profile that’s certainly not ideal and to raise prices so farming can be profitable.”
A bad habit for agriculture to get over: “Stop fighting with each other. Each sector has to stop fighting with the others. We’re in the same family and if we work together we can prosper together. If we fight with each other, we’re all going to lose.”
Ideal weather
Rosann Wowchuk:
Manitoba agriculture minister
“The best resolution that anyone in agriculture can have is: we’re going to work for the best possible weather, the right amount of rain, no frost and grow the best crops we can possibly grow and have opportunities to value-add them so that we can prosper in this province. That’s what we want: good weather, good crops, the opportunity to make the best return possible.”
Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel:
Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association president
“In the new year I will no longer even attempt to calculate my CAIS payments.
“I resolve to bring some good news about agriculture back to the coffee shops, even if I have to lie.”
Fairer trade
Florian Possberg:
Big Sky Farms president
“Canadian agriculture policy needs to figure out how our grain producers can survive in an environment where they’re competing with farmers who are playing a different game. Americans have a floor price for their grain. Our guys are supposed to compete against that?
“The idea of ad hoc programs coming to the rescue, and grain farmers having to wait to see if there’s going to be a federal election in order to get one, is ridiculous. We need to change that.”
Stewart Wells:
National Farmers Union president
“Canadian agriculture should make a resolution to have any international trade negotiators spend two weeks on a Canadian farm during the year so they can understand the real issues.”
Editorial writers
(who opine on agriculture) who write pieces oozing with fertilizer (should) field test the manure value of their opinions in farmers’ fields before it goes to print.”
Cheaper energy
Brian Hayward:
Agricore United chief
executive officer
“I’d like to find a way to use all of the wind and hot air that is expended on endlessly debating issues like ethanol and biodiesel from canola to set up a wind farm to help meet some of our Kyoto obligations.”
Barb Isman:
Canola Council of Canada president
“With a three million tonne carryover looming, and canola at five bucks, it’s hard to be lighthearted. So here are the canola industry resolutions for 2006:
- “Get a national biodiesel initiative from the federal government based on canola.
- “Get the EU to open GM canola seed imports.
- “End the tariff discrimination canola faces and get parity between value-added and raw seed products.
“By the way, these aren’t just resolutions. They are also predictions because there’s no point in making resolutions without them being focused on achieving an outcome. In this case, 2006 is going to be the year in which we fix the imbalance between what we grew, and can grow in the future, with what we can market.”
Doug Horner:
Alberta agriculture minister
- Find a way to explain CAIS in three easy steps.
- Limit criticism of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly to months ending in ‘r.’
- Limit ‘meet the new federal agriculture minister’ events to three times a year.
- Set up an integrated manure management system at the Alberta legislature.
- Find something remotely humorous about the World Trade Organization.
- Supply Alberta’s rat patrol members with Hummers and night vision goggles.
- Declare 2006 as the disease-free year of the cow, horse, pig, duck, elk and chicken.
- Wish the entire agriculture industry a truly prosperous new year for 2006.
