SARM shares priorities for Sask. election

Oct 01, 2020

Rural broadband, rural crime and policing, and funding to support RMs top SARM’s list

Staff Writer

Farms.com

As the province gears up for the Oct. 26 election, representatives of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) are sharing their priorities.

SARM representatives listed rural broadband, rural crime and policing, and funding to support RMs as the top issues.

“Rural broadband has been a really important issue for us for the last five or six years,” said Ray Orb, president of SARM. “We have a large area of the province that's underserved in both Internet and cellphone coverage.”

The poor cellphone service also affects the challenge of rural crime to an extent, said Orb.

“In some areas of the province, people might not be able to connect as quickly as they need to with law enforcement. So, we believe having better cellphone coverage will help to reduce rural crime,” he told Farms.com.

RMs also need continued support, especially in the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the provincial economy, stated the release.

SARM representatives will ask political candidates to address these issues and the organization’s leadership encourage rural residents to do the same, said Orb.

“We're asking our members to ask their local candidates these questions. (For example,) how could your party reduce rural crime?” he said.

SARM representatives will also ask candidates about the federal carbon tax.

“Farmers should be rewarded, rather than penalized, for sequestering carbon into the soil. So, that's something we're going to ask all the parties. What's your position on that (issue)?” said Orb.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.