WHEN Sinclair Harrison stepped down as president of the Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities, the group was left in a healthy
position.
SARM has become a player that government and media approach for input
and insight when agricultural issues arise on a provincial or national
level.
The Prairies have many farm groups that claim to represent farmers,
with varying levels of support and acceptance from farmers and those
they wish to lobby.
Some are fractured within or have overlapping mandates with other
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groups. Some restrict their lobbying to “behind the scenes” and then
lack public awareness of their efforts. Some have too few members to be
considered seriously. Some have ineffective leaders. And the biggest
factor for most is a lack of money to research, communicate, travel and
lobby.
SARM has the elected representation to give it credibility but has also
developed enviable traits that make it a legitimate voice on rural
issues.
Its success in raising its profile stems from a winning formula: it has
stable funding, an overall vision of what is important to farmers,
effective leaders with a committed team to help support them, and media
savvy.
Other groups depend on membership fees, voluntary or mandatory
checkoffs, government subsidies or private sources of revenue, but SARM
relies on a stable flow of taxes.
It developed stands on general policies relevant to rural areas. This
influenced how resources were used, and SARM earned respect because of
the issues it tackled: improvements to rail and road transportation,
freight rates, farm income, and crop insurance coverage.
SARM raised its lobbying stature as Saskatchewan Wheat Pool lobby
efforts diminished.
Rather than fall into the trap of farm groups who are identified as
being too ideologically based, SARM chose its issues carefully,
recognizing it represented a large number of people with diverse
opinions. It aligned itself with other farm groups, such as Keystone
Agricultural Producers and Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, on issues
such as farm aid when a united voice was more powerful.
From presenting position papers at committee meetings to participating
in high-profile delegations to governments, SARM was at the table. The
group needed an effective leader combined with a strong communications
plan. Harrison delivered. He had a knowledgeable team to back him up on
the issues and spent more than 200 days away from home each year on
SARM business. The media found Harrison to be approachable and always
prepared to comment.
Farm groups such as SARM will continue to face challenges, but adopting
a formula that includes stable finances, a focus on farmers’ needs,
strong leadership and effective media skills will help them thrive.
