Ian Wishart Leaves Kap Presidency

Keys tone Agr icul tural Producers is looking for a new president after Ian Wishart resigned suddenly from the position Oct. 14. A KAP general council meeting sat in stunned silence as Wishart, his voice thick with emotion, announced he was stepping down, effective immediately. “With considerable regret, I offer my resignation and my apologies.

Bipole III Will Have Little Effect On Farmland

The NDP’s commitment to providing clean, reliable and affordable power to Manitobans while building Manitoba Hydro’s export relationships and protecting pristine boreal forest is being met by the development of Bipole III on the west side of Lake Manitoba. Contrary to Ian Wishart’s letter to the editor in the July 15th edition of the Manitoba


KaP’s Member List Shrinking

Aperennial problem with a compulsory membership checkoff caused Keystone Agricultural Producers to finish 2009 with its fewest members in years. Financial statements released at KAP’s annual meeting in Winnipeg last week show the organization ended last year with 4,402 paid members, down from 4,824 in 2008. It’s not the lowest figure in KAP’s 26-year history

Throne Speech Recycles Ongoing Farm Programs

Last week’s Manitoba throne speech spoke a fair bit about agriculture but contained few actual new initiatives for farmers. Instead, the speech to mark the opening of the new legislative session was mainly a rehash of programs already ongoing, according to observers. “A lot of what was in the throne speech was actually reannouncements, not


Ottawa Silent On Renewed ALUS Funding

“We’re quite prepared to push this hard federally.” – IAN WISHART, KAP In the fall of 1999, at a Keystone Agricultural Producers general council meeting in Portage la Prairie, Ian Wishart proposed a radical idea: paying farmers to protect the environment. The idea, called Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS), caught on. Wishart became its architect

Provincial programs offer value for carbon

We welcome readers’comments on issues that have been covered in the Manitoba Co-operator. In most cases we cannot accept “open” letters or copies of letters which have been sent to several publications. Letters are subject to editing for length or taste. We suggest a maximum of about 300 words. I am responding to Brian Sterling’s


Non-BRM Agreement May Help With Manure Storages

Manitoba hog producers required to expand their manure storage facilities could get some financial help from a federal-provincial agreement signed last week. The $117.5 million Growing Forward agreement between Manitoba and Ottawa includes $18.8 million for eligible beneficial management practices (BMPs) involving water and nutrient management. That should include manure storages, although the available money

AgriInvest rides the waive

Ottawa has waived the need for farmers to make deposits for 2007 AgriInvest. Instead, the federal government will make direct payments to producers without requiring them to put up their matching share to start off the new program. Normally, producers can contribute up to 1.5 per cent of their annual net sales (ANS) to AgriInvest


Employment standards now apply to agriculture

Don Allan was trying to persuade his audience that Manitoba’s new provincial employment standards increase protection for employees working in agriculture. But one producer was having none of it. “It’s not equal between the employee and the employer,” the man insisted. “Workers have more rights than the employer. It’s ridiculous.” Overall, though, his was one

KAP demands tax credits for food safety

“It can get very expensive.” – Ian Wishart, KAP Manitoba farmers want a tax reward for providing consumers with safe, wholesome food. Keystone Agricultural Producers delegates at their annual meeting passed a resolution demanding producers receive income tax credits for carrying out on-farm food safety programs. The credits could be in the form of income