Ready to talk
To the Editor:
An Open Letter to our Political Leaders: As you are well aware, this year southeast Saskatchewan suffered a one in 100 year natural flooding disaster. Farmers in this area have found our existing safety net sadly wanting in the way it dealt with this situation.
South East Concerned Agricultural Producers is a non-partisan group of local farmers who have come together to lobby government in what we hope is a positive way.
We have met with and discussed our situation with three of the four federal opposition leaders. Soon we will send an AIDA brief to Mr. Vanclief. One area that we have examined is our Crop Insurance program.
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Crop insurance’s ability to help producers has its limitations
Farmers enrolled in crop insurance can do just as well financially when they have a horrible crop or no crop at all, compared to when they have a below average crop
Our federal government has told us that any assistance has to come through existing programs. About 40 percent of our area acres are not enrolled in Crop Insurance.
There are a number of reasons why participation is so low. Basically, many farmers do not believe it meets their needs. Do not force farmers to buy a bad insurance policy in order to receive assistance in the future.
Our group was to have a meeting with Crop Insurance to discuss our concerns. The dropping of the election writ cancelled this meeting.
We still intend to meet with Crop Insurance after the election. However, we feel it is imperative that your party make a public commitment to review Crop Insurance and to provide increased funding to make the program of more value to more farmers.
This is something our provincial government can do for agriculture.
We shall be discussing our concerns with our local candidates and encourage all Saskatchewan farmers to do the same. We look forward to your public statement of commitment to agriculture.
– Tom Cameron,
Group spokesperson, SECAP,
Carievale, Sask.
Domino effect
To the Editor:
Upon watching Sunday Report on Aug. 14, CBC RDTV Alberta on the farm crisis, the two gentlemen condensing the older and small farmers were way off track.
Farmers have always put up with high input costs (and) weather conditions but when low commodity prices hit more than one segment of our income at the same time, it begins to take its toll.
We are not asking for handouts but for a fair and reasonable price for our commodities in order to survive. We have talked to several provincial and federal politicians and their response is “can’t make a living at farming (so) get out.”
If we could receive a reasonable price for commodities consumed in Canada, divided equally among farmers, not corporate holding farms, (and) the excess put on the open world market, we could make it in farming.
The corporate holding farms and feedlots now control most of our beef, pork and chicken production and dictate what prices the family farmers get for their produce. Beware – once they have total control of the food production, food cost will triple compared to the cost of giving the farmers a Canadian-made price for our produce.
When the family farms are gone, so will be your rural and small towns and the increase on social services and social unrest, for there will be no jobs for these ruined farmers and their families.
When there are no consumers with money to purchase goods, the cities will also be affected. Without your farmers, the equipment dealers, the oil patch, and every other factor of business will have a domino effect.
The dirty ’30s are back, only we’re in the falling ’90s.
– Carol Thomas,
Donalda, Alta.
Grants abound
To the Editor:
The Frank Getchter letter in your Aug. 19 issue suggests that Cargill has been supporting the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association through several ways, which have been detrimental to the Canadian Wheat Board.
Cargill is not the only organization to support the WCWGA. There are others. The government of Alberta, for example, has funded the WCWGA (and also the Western Barley Growers) almost yearly, which began in 1975 and continued into the 1990s.
The amounts for each organization have averaged close to $40,000 per year over that period. This information can be found in the early Alberta Public Accounts Reports, under grants issued by Alberta Agriculture.
In 1991-92, Alberta Agriculture also granted the WCWGA an additional $232,559 for “supplies and services,” but the details are not readily available.
The above granting information suggests that Cargill and the government of Alberta are far from being fans of the CWB.
However, the CWB continues to thrive and I, like Mr. Getchter, would prefer that it continues to thrive in spite of all the allegations and court challenges that have been thrown at it over the past 25 years.
– Thomas A. Petersen,
Drumheller, Alta.
Complex weather
To the Editor:
Rainfall in Alberta has become as spotted as an Appaloosa horse; some enjoy an abundance, while his neighbor a short distance away does not get any.
Our government has finally realized help is definitely needed but the complexity of weather patterns is bewildering. Farmers suffering least cry the loudest. The present crop insurance program might have been beneficial a few years ago but is a mere pittance today with low grain prices and steadily increasing cost of production.
Farm bankruptcies are the accepted terminus to a once thriving industry.
– H.W. Jackson,
Falher, Alta.
NDP & ag
To the Editor:
Once again Roy Romanow has openly mocked the Saskatchewan rural sector by announcing an election during the harvest season. He has also made it clear that he and his future government have no plans for agricultural programs, and no funds will be set aside to rebuild Saskatchewan’s deteriorated highway system.
In short, if elected, this government would literally allow rural Saskatchewan to fall apart.
On the other hand, he promises one year of free university education for all high school graduates. Where will the funding come from for these handouts but on the back of Saskatchewan farmers?
The two most likely targets are school tax on farm property and gasoline tax. Who will be hit the hardest but those who drive long distances because they no longer have services in their towns?
To vote NDP is to sign the death certificate of what is left of Saskatchewan agriculture.
– John J. Hamon,
Gravelbourg, Sask.
