LACOMBE, Alta. – After almost 40 years the Women of Unifarm have voted to separate from the main farm organization.
“We were always a family. We’ve grown enough that we feel we can stand on our own as women and not have to be dependent on the main body,” said president Florence Trautman.
“It was time for us to move on,” said Trautman of Stony Plain.
The decision to separate from the main body, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, wasn’t easy for the 40 women at the provincial convention last week.
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“I still have mixed feelings,” said outgoing president Verna Kett of Wainwright.
“It’s the same feelings you would have in a divorce,” said Kett who led the organization for four years.
But for many women separating may mean survival for the women’s farm organization.
In the spring, the main organization Unifarm, changed to a direct-funded producer organization, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers. But president Ron Leonhardt told the women he doesn’t know what’s going to happen to the future of the main organization because of low membership and financial problems.
Leonhardt said he was disappointed the women decided to leave the main organization.
“It does weaken the Wild Rose Agricultural Producers.
“We have always believed women are full partners in most farm organizations. We had a unique organization where one membership covered the farm couple.
“I wish your new organization all the best. If you want to reenter the partnership that was there you’d be welcome with open arms. I don’t think there was anything done here that can’t easily be repaired.”
Trautman said there were several issues that pushed the women to form their own organization. Many women objected to being forced to rename themselves Women of Wild Rose Agricultural Producers if they stayed with the new organization. Others were still mad the main organization kept about $35,000 earmarked for the women’s organization last year.
Traditionally the Women of Unifarm received 10 percent of the membership money from Unifarm, but because of financial problems with the main organization the money wasn’t passed on to the women.
“When push came to shove they sacrificed our organization for theirs. It knocked the bottom out of our organization when we had to give the $35,000 back,” Judy Pimm, of Grimshaw, told Leonhardt.
Before the vote there was plenty of soul searching if they should even work to keep a women’s organization going. Membership in Women of Unifarm has been slowly dwindling.
“We shouldn’t say we are going to continue as a group unless we can afford to,” said Hazel Oracheski. Last year the organization’s budget was about $8,000 with many of the executive not getting paid for their time or expenses.
Elizabeth Olsen, of Bow Island, made a resolution the organization be dissolved.
“I think we have to be pragmatic. Look at the membership, look at the age of the membership. We have to think about where we’re going. Are we willing to work in an organization and pay for it to make it work,” said Olsen.
Margaret Blanchard, of Bow Island, said she wanted to see the resolution defeated, but only if the women were willing to make a farm women’s organization work.
“You have to decide whether you’re going home and going to go out and make this a good organization,” said Blanchard.
But Pimm said it was premature to kill the organization before giving it one last try.
“If we fall flat on our face in a year from now at least we can say we tried.”
In the end the resolution was defeated and the group decided to carry on with a new women’s organization but keep the name Women of Unifarm.
“This has been a pretty rough day and a half. We have given birth to a new organization,” Trautman told the group.
“We’ve come to a crossroads and we’ve decided which way to go,” she said.
“We have faith what we’re doing is beneficial to all farm women.”
“We have faith what we’re doing is beneficial to all farm women.”
