What will the new year bring for Western Canadian agricultural producers? It’s safe to say that many of the themes will be holdovers from the past.
Debate will continue on world trade rules, Canadian Wheat Board marketing powers, income safety nets, global climate trends, genetic engineering, hog barns, the grainhandling system, rail-line closures, animal rights, rural services, agricultural input costs, and many other familiar subjects.
Although the list of topics will be similar to past years, however, there will be substantial change within individual topics.
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Supporters of hog barns, for example, may have turned the corner in 1997 in their struggle with environmental concerns. They won key legal battles, and they gained ground in communicating both the economic benefit of such projects and the ways in which they can minimize pollution.
But wider environmental issues, affecting virtually every Canadian farmer and rancher, appear destined to heat up considerably. The international campaign to reduce “greenhouse effect” emissions will have an impact on producers as government programs are developed to reduce emissions.
Some of this impact could be good, in the form of research to help producers adapt to climate change. Some could be disastrous – for example, if heavy additional fuel taxes are imposed. Agricultural organizations are going to have to keep a close eye on developments in this area.
Consumer concern over genetically engineered crops may well also become an increasingly sensitive issue, as more such crops reach market.
The wheat board is due for radical change this year as it gets a majority of farmer-elected directors and more flexible marketing powers. That, and the resolution of key court cases, might or might not lead to a cooling of the sometimes-intense debate over the board’s marketing powers. But it will certainly be a different wheat board.
There is no guarantee of substantive change this year in the rail transportation system for moving grain, but at least long-awaited hearings into the system’s troubles should begin.
Beyond all the developments in policy issues, producers will be faced with a host of changes in technology and agribusiness. There will be advancements to examine in everything from global positioning devices and multi-trait seeds to computer software and animal health products.
Even without the usual surprises from nature, producers will have a lot to contend with. Fortunately, much of the onrushing change represents opportunities rather than threats.
