NISKU, Alta. Ñ In an attempt to secure stable funding, Alberta’s general farm organization plans to ask the provincial government for a checkoff from the registration of farm vehicle licence plates.
Since its beginning in 1996, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers has relied on membership fees to fund its operations.
A regular checkoff would ensure Alberta farmers a strong political voice, both in the province and in Ottawa, said former Wild Rose president Neil Wagstaff, who presented the funding proposal to members at their recent annual meeting.
“It’s time to rethink how general farm organizations in Alberta are structured and funded,” he said.
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“Essentially, an organization like Wild Rose has done work on behalf of all farmers, so more farmers should be sharing in the cost of the organization.”
Alberta is the only province with a general farm organization that relies on voluntary funding.
Under the proposal, farmers would pay a $5 levy when their farm vehicle is registered. In 2002 there were 148,516 farm vehicles in the province, which would generate $700,000 for the organization. A $10 levy would generate $1.4 million.
“A checkoff somewhere between $5 and $10 would raise adequate revenue to run a very good farm organization in this province,” Wagstaff said.
Wild Rose now has a budget of $145,000, a far cry from the $26 million budget enjoyed by Quebec’s powerful UPA lobby group and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s $8 million budget. In Newfoundland, which has only 643 farmers, the general farm organization has a budget of more than $500,000.
In Ontario, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, farmers pay a refundable checkoff that they can direct to the accredited farm organization of their choice. In Ontario, for example, farmers can contribute to the National Farmers Union, Ontario Federation of Agriculture or Christian Farmers Federation.
UPA’s budget in Quebec is raised through a mandatory checkoff.
Funding for farm groups in Newfoundland, New Brunswick and British Columbia is from a combination of farmer funds, funds from commodity groups and provincial contributions.
In Saskatchewan, rural municipalities decide whether to join the province’s farm group. About half are members.
“It’s an absolute shame. Alberta produces a quarter of the agriculture production yet we have a general farm organization with the least amount of resources,” Wagstaff said.
He conceded that the checkoff would have to be refundable and farmers would need the option of choosing what accredited farm organization would receive their money.
Alberta farmers now pay a checkoff to several commodity organizations, including those for cattle, barley and canola.
Herman Schwenk of Coronation, Alta., said his family pays $5,000 to $6,000 a year to the Alberta Beef Producers through a livestock checkoff. He would rather see the money go to a general farm organization such as Wild Rose Agricultural Producers.
“To me the general farm organization has a far better chance of affecting change for farmers than commodity groups do,” said Schwenk, who has belonged to Wild Rose since its inception, as well as to Unifarm, Wild Rose’s predecessor.
When Unifarm formed in 1970, it received strong support from the new provincial government and then agriculture minister Hugh Horner, father of Alberta’s present agriculture minister, Doug Horner.
“I think you might have a good possibility of getting support from the present minister of agriculture, especially if you remind him of the support his father gave,” Schwenk said.
Tom Jackson of Killam, Alta., also wondered if there was a way farmers could choose which commodity group or organization received their check-off dollars.
“Is there some choice within the system to redesignate a portion of what is being checked off now? Is there a different mechanism? Maybe that’s not a bad option to look at.”
Michael Bury of Mannville, Alta., suggested that instead of a checkoff just for farmers, everyone in the province pay $1 from their licence plates.
“Right now there probably would be support. I don’t think anybody would complain about $1.”
