James Battershill, KAP general manager

KAP GM is confident hiring a membership co-ordinator will pay off

Membership revenue is important, but so is broad farmer representation, says James Battershill

Membership, and the revenue that comes with it, are the lifeblood of any organization, but for the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) it’s more than just the money. “It’s really what drives our credibility as an organization,” KAP’s general manager James Battershill told delegates attending KAP’s spring General Council meeting April 16. “KAP has always been

(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

Five-year beef plan seeks boosts in demand, efficiency

A new strategy from national and provincial cattle producer and beef marketing agencies has set five-year percentage benchmarks for the industry’s productivity, added value and cost-effectiveness. Canada’s beef sector groups on Wednesday formally released their National Beef Strategy, a guiding document for “how the organizations can work together to best position the Canadian beef industry


Kostyshyn told the Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association May 1 he supports stable funding for general farm organizations but said later in an interview it was premature to commit to introducing legislation this spring.  Photo: allan dawson

KAP ups ante on push for stable funding

The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers says it will seek the Manitoba ombudsman’s assistance to enforce current checkoff laws if the provincial government balks at introducing better legislation for funding farm organizations this spring. “We have to do, what we have to do,” KAP president Doug Chorney said May 3. “We’ll have no choice if

KAP counting on new checkoff legislation this spring

Keystone Agricultural Producers’ (KAP) membership and revenues could more than double if the Manitoba government comes through with legislation this spring to revamp the general farm organization’s checkoff system, the organization’s president says. “(Agriculture) Minister (Ron) Kostyshyn has committed to me they will move forward with something in the spring session,” Doug Chorney said in


Tax credit for research checkoffs

The federal government annually provides a Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit to producers offering them a tax credit on their checkoff investments. The tax credit percentage for producers who contributed to the Wheat and Barley Checkoff, administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation in 2012 is 85 per cent for wheat and

Canada Beef: Celebrating first birthday

So far, so good. That seemed to be the mood as 150 industry players recently gathered to mark Canada Beef Inc.’s first birthday. “We learned a lot on the fly,” said president Rob Meijer. “I think structurally our business plan and vision is sound. It probably holds stronger today than a year ago when we


Letters — for 2012-06-14 00:00:00

Ritz explains checkoff details Regarding the May 31 story “KAP questions checkoff administrator — last month, as part of our government’s commitment to deliver marketing freedom to western wheat and barley growers, I announced proposed regulations enabling a new, voluntary producer checkoff that will be overseen by the Alberta Barley Commission, in support of research, market

Checkoff system needs to be credible

It is laudable that the federal government has moved to set up an interim checkoff to support research, market development and technical assistance for the grain sector. The Western Grain Research Foundation (WGRF), the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) and the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) are major assets to the western grain industry


AAFC clarifies checkoff administrator’s authority

The federal government plans to sign an agreement with the Alberta Barley Commission to dictate how farmers’ money collected from the proposed new interim wheat and barley checkoff for research and market development is spent. “ABC and AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) intend to enter into an agreement that will specify what dollars-per-tonne amounts that

Budget cuts hit Manitoba Forage Council

Group’s research funding has shrunk from a peak of $1.4 million to $200,000 Cuts to research funding by federal and provincial governments have hit the Manitoba Forage Council hard. The group’s research funding has shrunk from a peak of $1.4 million to just around $200,000, said Brent McCannell, executive director of the 400-member non-profit group