How many farm organizations are needed in Canada and how many can the industry reasonably support?
Long-time farm policy observer Richard Phillips is stimulating discussion by asking these questions, which many will find uncomfortable.
On the surface, it would appear that we have organizations upon organizations with duplication of efforts and an apparent fortune wasted on administrative costs. The formation of new wheat and barley commissions in each of the prairie provinces heightens the impression.
In the past, most commissions were formed by grassroots producers who had to prove to provincial governments that there was strong grower support for a commodity checkoff. The wheat and barley commissions were fast-tracked to fill the void when the CWB monopoly was removed.
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Now we’re getting more than one checkoff on wheat and barley. Money is flowing or will be flowing to the new commissions in each province, plus there’s a deduction for the Western Grains Research Foundation, the Canadian International Grains Institute and the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre.
The total amount being deducted isn’t unreasonable. It’s less than what producers contribute in many competing nations. However, there’s a perception problem when checkoffs start to multiply.
And why have new wheat and barley commissions in each province?
That’s actually a quirk of legislation. It’s difficult to establish checkoffs that cross provincial boundaries, which is why pulse growers, canola growers and oat growers aren’t united by one levy organization.
Until recently, Richard Phillips worked for Grain Growers of Canada, a policy body made up of a large number of farm organizations. Now he is president of the Canada Grains Council and will be tasked with finding a role for the council at a time when the farm organization landscape is shifting and evolving.
By all accounts, the Canola Council of Canada has been successful in bringing industry and producers together. Pulse Canada also does great work.
For cereal crops, how the big picture umbrella will function is still a work in progress.
However, groups are already working together to get things done. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has announced $12.5 million over five years in research funding for a wheat cluster administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation. The new Alberta Wheat Commission is also part of the deal with farm organizations matching the government funding.
Smaller acreage crops have their own checkoffs.
Some organizations are membership based, including the Western Canadian Wheat Growers and the National Farmers Union. Others, such as Keystone Agricultural Producers and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, have different funding models. If like-minded farmers want to fund lobby groups on farm policy, that should be their right.
In Ontario, wheat, corn and soybean groups joined forces to form Grain Farmers of Ontario. It wasn’t easy to accomplish, but it made sense because most grain producers in Ontario grow all three crops. Here on the Prairies, needs are arguably more diverse.
Hopefully, farm organizations across the country will continue to look at ways to co-operate, reduce administration costs and merge activities when possible. However, this needs to come from producers themselves. They (we) have to figure it out. Governments can help, but they can’t lead. The organizations belong to producers.
