EDMONTON – Alberta Agriculture’s decision to reduce its staff and change their responsibilities will hurt rural communities, say municipal councillors who proposed two resolutions to stop the government cuts.
Farmers relied on the service provided by the crop specialist in the Sangudo office, Derril Butler, reeve of Lac Ste. Anne County, said to the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties annual meeting.
During the summer, Alberta Agriculture closed offices in Sangudo and Innisfail. In the New Year, the government plans to change the way the rural specialists operate. The department will create 18 key hub offices, instead of the existing 51 offices. Under the new plan, rural staff will focus on helping farmers develop value-added agriculture.
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Butler said when the municipality was told the Sangudo office was closing to cut costs, the municipality offered to reduce the rent or find alternative space.
“None of these things seemed to satisfy them,” said Butler.
“We felt we were getting some kind of runaround. They claimed it was to save money but it became obvious that wasn’t it.”
Butler said he’s worried that farmers who are used to coming into the municipal Agriculture Service Board office where the crop specialist shared an office will not know where to find an Alberta Agriculture specialist if they have problems.
“Farmers aren’t going to know where to find them” and they’re not going to like phoning a call centre for help, he said.
“You know how farmers are. They need to see someone face to face. Very often they make appointments to have him come out to his place and look at a situation,” said Butler.
Without a permanent office, farmers will be forced to come into the ag service board offices to pick up forms or ask for advice, which amounts to another instance of the provincial government downloading costs onto the municipality.
“It’s just another added cost,” said Butler.
Myron Zajic, a councillor with the municipal district of Wainwright, presented a resolution to continue to allow Alberta Agriculture staff to stay on the licensing teams for local seed cleaning plants.
Zajic said having the crop specialist on the licensing team gave the seed cleaning plants “credibility” because the provincial staff “were an impartial body.”
In 1993, the provincial seed cleaning plants lost their government funding. The crop specialists were allowed to remain as members of the licensing body. The licensing team looked at the condition of the seed cleaning equipment, and possible sources of seed contamination and helped to ensure regulations were followed.
But more important was the connection between the farmers and the crop specialists, he said.
“It’s a good way to keep communication open,” he said. “We want to try and ensure they stay there.”
Both resolutions were carried.
