It’s gone
In his May 17 letter to the Producer, Mr. (Jim) Pallister hauls out the old idea that if we lose the Canadian Wheat Board, we can always get it back. He tries to support his argument by quoting incomplete sections of the North American Free Trade agreement.
What he failed to quote were the other NAFTA sections on compensation. We might be allowed to reinstate the CWB’s marketing responsibilities. However, under NAFTA, the grain companies would then be free to seek compensation for lost revenue from the Canadian government. This is what the manufacturers of the gasoline additive MMT were successful in doing two years ago when Canada followed California’s example and banned the use of the additive.
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Late season rainfall creates concern about Prairie crop quality
Praying for rain is being replaced with the hope that rain can stop for harvest. Rainfall in July and early August has been much greater than normal.
How much do you suppose Cargill, for example, could seek in damages should Canada choose to reinstate a CWB after a failed experiment with dual marketing? I’m willing to bet that it would be too much for a federal government that has already shown its disinterest in western agriculture.
So in the real world, once the CWB is gone, it is gone for good, and the unconvincing half-truths of Mr. Pallister and his followers only reinforce this reality.
– Ken Larsen,
Benalto, Alta.
Create chaos
A word for those who so mildly dislike the Canadian Wheat Board…
The only thing that motivates these guys is their desire to try and create chaos in the country. They certainly do not want to work for peace. It is the fair and progressive work of the CWB that has kept me at it and on the farm.
The only regrets I have is that we lost the Crow Benefit. Also, the idiotic idea of closing the country elevators.
– Ernest Hoehne,
Libau, Man.
Re: 4-H article
In regards to your article, “4-H member ousted for poor attendance” (May 10) several things need to be clarified. The way we see this situation is there are three main parties that need to do a little soul searching. Everybody seems to forget we are dealing with a 14-year-old child here.
First and foremost, the leaders of the Maidstone Gully 4-H Club. They started this whole fiasco with a very narrow-sighted decision, again involving a 14-year-old child.
Secondly, the provincial 4-H Council. What is their real mandate or purpose if they have no control over their clubs? …
The last thing we need in this country is more bureaucracy, but the bureaucrats are already in place. Why haven’t they any power in a situation like this? And where do provincial officials get off commenting in a national paper on matters, again involving a 14-year-old child, when they haven’t even spoken to the member or her family?
Thirdly, The Western Producer. You were quick to name the 14-year-old child in your article yet you never mentioned the name of the 4-H club or any of its adult leaders in a national paper. With your headline, “4-H member ousted for poor attendance”, you publicly humiliated her again.
This member has been to close to 70 meetings in less than five years. Is that poor attendance?
She never missed one meeting in 1999-2000. We’ve had several people tell us they never went to 70 meetings in their 10- to 12-year 4-H careers.
You also failed to mention that two of the missed meetings were because she had been hired to work for a local purebred breeder at his national show. Isn’t one of the main goals of a 4-H beef project to produce and exhibit beef cattle?
Two more of the missed meetings were while on a family vacation. In our books, that only leaves two missed meetings.
At the end of the day, we are left with a set of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents (one of which is in the 4-H Hall of Fame), countless other friends, relatives and total strangers who are angry, bitter and disillusioned at the manner in which this whole matter was handled; a group of leaders and their families who are too ashamed to look at us on the street in small town Saskatchewan; and last, but certainly not least, a 14-year-old girl who was hurt and embarrassed by the leaders of the very activity that she lived for.
4-H has taught us more than we ever bargained for. Again, as was stated in the original letter you received, it is not our wish that the whole 4-H program be hurt by the actions of a few. Whitney will, and is, healing but there will be a scar.
– The Wendall Weston family,
Maidstone, Sask.
4-H dedication
The article by your reporter, Diane Rogers, entitled “4-H member ousted for poor attendance” (May 10) has been on my mind for days now. This is my opinion on this “victim story.”
I want to express my disappointment in the parents of Whitney Weston of Maidstone, Sask. We as parents have an enormous job to perform and of course it is the most important role given to us. As parents, we all want to teach our children life skills, including responsibility, loyalty, and commitment.
I would bet that is why you have registered Whitney in 4-H, just as my husband and I have and thousands of other parents.
Upon registration, year after year, did you not receive a copy of the club constitution? This is the club rules and are consistent for all the members of your club. If you don’t agree with these rules, then you must show up at meetings to discuss your views, maybe others agree, and at an annual meeting the changes can be made. …
Whether our children join 4-H or team sports, responsibility, loyalty, and commitment are expectations placed. If we tell our kids “go when you feel like it,” what are we teaching them?
We all wish we had that kind of job or that kind of payment plan, but life isn’t like that.
Some parents don’t set the example and pass on the responsibility to the school or volunteers who are thrilled to give your child their time, then blame someone else if they are made accountable and punished.
Please keep in mind that a message also has to be sent to all those members who do show up for the meetings and make 4-H important and outstanding. Your reward is the achievement of involvement in your club, and knowing that each of you have parents and leaders who believe in you and keep you motivated.
I am a new 4-H leader, general 4-H leader and 4-H parent. 4-H is work for parents too, especially in our club because we are only two years old and consist of very young members. I am as proud of our parents as I am the members and leaders.
I wish you the best and want to share with you my motto: Don’t complain unless you can do better. If you have a problem, give a solution. Don’t expect me to give more to your kids than you do.
– Anne Luster,
Allan, Sask.
Work together
I wish to clarify statements made by the president of Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association (Open Forum, April 19.)
Ms. (Marsha) Cannon says that although the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan has expressed a wish to work with existing commodity organizations, we have not directly contacted her or the SCFA. She goes on to say that APAS has yet to communicate any form of livestock strategy to her organization.
I would remind Ms. Cannon that APAS has only officially been in existence since our inaugural meeting held in December of last year. Our current staff of four was just hired within the last few months. I appreciate that she is eager to hear what position Saskatchewan’s new general farm organization will take in regards to the livestock sector, but would like to ask for her patience and her co-operation in its development.
APAS has spent the past few months working hard on a number of initiatives; a brief on Bill C-5, the Species at Risk legislation, for the federal standing committee on the environment; an analysis of the proposed Animal Rights legislation, Bill C-17; and, a submission to the Canadian Transportation Agency on joint running rights for the Hudson’s Bay Railroad Company.
We have also consulted with producer members at town hall meetings across the province to develop a new program that will enable farmers and ranchers to better respond to changing market conditions. We have just begun the process of presenting this program to governments and commodity organizations for review and feedback.
In due course, we will be contacting the SCFA for their input. The individuals involved in our province’s numerous commodity organizations offer a wealth of knowledge and information gained from years of hard work that should never be ignored.
For the record, APAS fully supports the efforts of Saskatchewan’s commodity organizations. We applaud the strides we have made in advancing individual sectors of the agricultural economy with these groups. Like APAS, their strength is a result of dedicated volunteers striving to improve agriculture in our province.
Unfortunately, the lack of a dedicated general provincial farm organization able to bring those strengths together has caused us to falter on issues larger than any commodity. Power brokers and politicians have capitalized on our differences – playing commodity groups off upon each other – for their own ends. The farmers and ranchers that established APAS believe it is time for that to change.
Every province in Canada except Saskatchewan has a general farm organization – a single, unified voice that can speak for all producers within its boundaries. We can learn from their successes and failures as we develop a voice for our producers.
If we ever hope to make our industry thrive in Saskatchewan, we must set aside our differences and work together.
– Terry Hildebrandt,
President, APAS,
White City, Sask.
Unjustly portrayed
Ontario’s pork producers are being unjustly portrayed as uncaring towards the environment.
While we recognize that negative outsells positive in the news, farmers are getting tired of the finger pointing. It must be so easy to pick a visible barn, paint a target on it, and pass blame on it for environmental problems.
Large hog barns are mentioned in almost every story covering Walkerton’s tragedy, even though pigs don’t even carry that strain of E.coli. Odor complaints on new barns that don’t have pigs in them yet add to our frustration.
To clarify the obvious, farmers are subject to environmental laws and if there’s a problem, it needs to be fixed. However, legitimate concerns are getting mixed up with ‘not in my backyard’ attitudes. Farmers who are going the extra mile to meet local building and nutrient management requirements to prove they are responsible stewards are still facing opposition.
It begs the question, how much is enough?
Responsible environmental management and preserving water quality is in everyone’s best interest. We can work together towards that common goal.
Ontario Pork has been working diligently with other farm groups for a number of years urging the provincial government to enact responsible nutrient management legislation, the Agricultural Operations Act. We are asking the government for a clear outline of requirements for farmers to meet so we can continue to produce our food in an environmentally sound manner, without fear of opposition and harassment.
Leaving a legacy of productive, healthy land and water for the next generation of farmers is our mandate, 365 days a year.
– Clare Schlegel,
Chair, Ontario Pork,
Tavistock, Ont.
