Participation in farm organizations reminds me of the country music song, “My give a damn’s busted.”
As farmers, we have no shortage of opinions, but there’s a definite shortage of giving a damn about the organizations that represent us.
In the recent director elections for Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, five directors were vying for three vacant positions. The organization went to great lengths to promote the election.
Candidate bios were sent by mail to every registered producer. Statements from each of the five candidates were aired a couple times on a main radio station and also posted online. Social media was employed. Voting took only a minute or two on the computer. If you were averse to voting electronically, you could request a paper ballot.
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In the end, from the 15,000 growers of pulse crops in Saskatchewan, a mere 1,050 voted, a participation rate of only seven percent.
Maybe it was the lack of any controversy. Maybe it was because all the candidates were quite qualified. More likely, we all take democracy and governance too lightly as evidenced by declining participation in federal, provincial and municipal elections.
The vote in Alberta over amalgamation of the Alberta Barley Commission and the Alberta Wheat Commission is another illustration of complacency. The early November preliminary result showed 89 percent of barley farmers and 88 percent of wheat farmers in support of forming one commission.
It was an overwhelming result based on underwhelming participation. With only 606 votes from barley growers and 983 votes from wheat growers, participation was a mere 6.1 percent.
Increasingly, the various commissions are the voice of the farming community, particularly the big commissions like the soon-to-be amalgamated Alberta Wheat and Barley, as well as Sask Pulse, SaskWheat, SaskCanola and Manitoba Crop Alliance.
When governments want to consult with farmers, they turn to the commissions. Since the commissions are funded with producer levy dollars, they have the research staff to provide background information to elected farmer directors so that constructive dialogue can occur.
Crop commissions often belong to more broad-based organizations with specific policy expertise. For instance, Sask Pulse is part of Pulse Canada and many commissions are part of the Canada Grains Council and Grain Growers of Canada.
Farm policy is complicated, ranging from non-tariff trade barriers to climate change initiatives to crop protection product registrations. The commissions also invest tens of millions of producer dollars into research.
Many organizations will soon hold their annual general meetings. For those with quorum requirements, attracting just 20 or 30 registered producers to the AGM can be a challenge.
Maybe the give a damn that’s busted is the sense of civic duty. Maybe it’s the pride of having democratic structures.
It’s easier to post something witty or biting on Twitter than it is to delve beyond the surface of an issue and actually have conversations. The rule about abdicating the right to complain if you don’t vote apparently doesn’t apply to social media.
Whatever the reasons, six or seven percent voter participation is embarrassing. Even more embarrassing is that about the same percentage of producers are freeloaders that apply to get their levy contributions refunded every year. Most aren’t doing it on any sense of principle; it’s just a source of a bit of free money.
This quote is attributed to Edmund Burke, an Irish-British statesman, economist and philosopher: “nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could do only a little.”
Kevin Hursh is an agricultural journalist, consultant and farmer. He can be reached by e-mail at kevin@hursh.ca.
