Some producers weren’t able to make it to the Annual General Meeting in January. We’re already looking forward to next year, but until then here’s what you missed from our January 25th meeting:
There were several elections: Lynn Grant and Duane Thompson were elected to represent Saskatchewan cattle producers for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Ryan Thompson was acclaimed to represent producers on the board of the National Cattle Feeders Association. Dean Sentes was also acclaimed as the representative for the Young Cattlemen’s Council. If you have any concerns or thoughts about the work completed by these national boards, feel free to contact them to share your ideas.
Bovine TB was detected in an Alberta animal last fall. Two Canadian Food Inspection Agency representatives provided an update about the trace-outs that had occurred, and the trace-ins that will occur next fall.
The Farm and Food Care Executive Director noted the difference it makes when the beef industry reaches out to consumers, chefs, and dieticians, while a presentation from Ag in the Classroom showed the benefits of teaching young children about what we do on the farm, and what beef producers can do to help.
The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association has provided $1 million worth of funding towards the Livestock and Forage Center of Excellence. Dorothy Murrell provided an update to its progress.
A representative from the RCMP talked about cattle thefts in Saskatchewan, the work underway to help curb these thefts, and what producers and their neighbours can do to prevent and help catch thieves. These are things like branding your cattle, writing down the plate information of any suspicious vehicles in your area, setting up a trail camera at choke points and keeping genetic information on file (such as hairs with their roots) to test against in the future.
There were 13 resolutions discussed at the 2017 AGM. There were several actions that cattle producers wanted the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association to take to improve the industry. They instructed the SCA to:
- Work with the Government of Saskatchewan and Canada to fund research on carbon sequestration in soil, and if necessary implement a program that will pay producers for increased levels of carbon in their soil.
- Investigate the potential of biological control of Burdock and Absinthe
- Implement the increase in the national check-off from $1.50 to $2.50 on April 1, 2017
- Negotiate an end to dentition age verification requirements on the exports of cull cows and bulls
- Engage the federal government to keep cross compliance to a minimum to reduce the risk of unduly influencing producer management decisions
- Work with the federal and provincial Departments of Justice as well as the CFIA to ensure that convicted rustlers are punished to the full extent of the law
- Work with the two levels of government to establish a national insurance program to help maintain stability for cattle producers.
Other resolutions did not ask for specific actions from the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, but provided support for new initiatives. Cattle producers who attended the AGM noted that they supported:
- The full deployment of the E + V technology as the official determinant of the beef carcass grade and yield system.
- That leasers of land formerly belonging to the PFRA community pasture program not be liable for noxious weeds, invasive species, biosecurity, injury, or damages of any nature due to the stipulation that hunters will be allowed on that land without the lessees’ knowledge or consent.
- That hard line high speed internet service be extended throughout rural Saskatchewan
One motion was tabled until the following year due to a lack of information. The resolution asked that:
- The SCA advocate for more education and awareness that check off payments apply to private treaty sales.
There were also resolutions that were moved, but were not carried, as they did not have the support of the majority of voting producers. They asked the SCA to:
- Support the retention of a $10 horned cattle levy in Saskatchewan
- Increase the portion of the national check-off provided to research projects by 10%.
Source : Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association