(Leduc, Alberta) December 21, 2016 – Alberta’s four major crop commissions, operating as Team Alberta, continue to work together to minimize the impact of the carbon levy on farmers.

In recent consultations with the provincial Climate Technology Task Force, Team Alberta advocated for many solutions-based changes to be considered, including research investments, and recognition that agriculture already contributes to reducing greenhouse gases.

In these meetings, Team Alberta recognized the farm fuel exemption for a significant input, but never wavered that the full impact of the tax on input costs, transportation and prices that farmers receive for their crops remains unclear.

“Producers are natural leaders in carbon capture and an important part of the climate change solution,” said Allison Ammeter, Chair of Alberta Pulse Growers.

Kevin Auch, Chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission added: “Agricultural crops are great users of carbon dioxide (CO2) as part of their metabolism to produce essential oxygen through photosynthesis, making producers who grow crops natural leaders in carbon capture and sequestration.”

In a series of meetings with provincial cabinet ministers, Team Alberta has reinforced that farmers rely on global markets and cannot pass the increased costs onto their customers. Farmers should be recognized for the contributions they have already made to reducing greenhouse gases through practices such as conservation tillage. In addition, Team Alberta cautioned the government against imposing an increased tax burden on exporters, processors, and crop input manufacturers that will reduce market competitiveness.

Team Alberta has also called for more funding for research into technologies that would benefit farmers, as well as representation on the Emissions Reduction Alberta panel that allocates research expenditures.

“The tremendous growth in the cropping sector can be traced back to research investment, and adoption of new practices and technologies,” said Jason Lenz, Chair of Alberta Barley. “Sustainable cropping practices in Alberta, which are among the most globally advanced, contribute to productivity increases that produce more yield per acre using less resources and more research can be done for further advancements.”

Continuous improvement in land management practices and a strong commitment by farmers to address soil degradation have resulted in crop productivity increasing at twice the rate of increases in GHG emissions between 1990 and 2013. In 2000, for the first time in Canada’s history, agricultural soil sequestered more carbon than was emitted.

Team Alberta met with Alberta’s Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman, as well as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Oneil Carlier and Minister of Environment Shannon Phillips to discuss climate change and the work that producers have done in this regard.

“Climate change policies aimed at the cropping sector must be fluid in nature,” added Greg Sears, Chair of Alberta Canola. “Economic and environmental conditions change rapidly and producers employ different production practices for diverse growing regions.”

The cropping sector is engaged on this file as farmers are an important part of the climate change solution. Team Alberta will continue to represent our members with the provincial government and advocate for a thriving and competitive agriculture industry in Alberta.

Team Alberta is made up of the Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Pulse Growers Commission and Alberta Barley. Together the organizations represent over 43,000 farms across Alberta.

Media Contacts

Trevor Bacque
Communications Manager
Alberta Barley
T 403.219.6266
E tbacque@albertabarley.com

Megan Madden
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
T 780.454.0844
E megan@albertacanola.com

Rachel Peterson
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Pulse Growers Commission
T 780.986.9398 ext. 3
E rpeterson@pulse.ab.ca

Amanda Ryan
Communications Manager
Alberta Wheat Commission
T 403.219.7902
E amanda.ryan@albertawheat.com

The Canadian pulse industry is now accepting Letters of Intent (LOIs) for possible inclusion in a third research cluster, within AAFC’s newest agricultural policy framework, for the period of 2018-2023.

“As a Canadian industry we have identified some very specific targets that will push our knowledge and profitability as an industry forward,” said Dr. Jenn Walker, Research Officer for Alberta Pulse Growers (APG). “We have an incredible resource in scientific capacity and feel confident that through collaboration and partnership we can achieve our goals.”

Industry discussion has identified the following national and provincial goals that will support a profitable and sustainable pulse industry in Canada:

• Increase pulse yields by 20 per cent by 2023, associated with low cost of production and improved nutritional quality.
• Increase utilization of pulses as whole food by 10 per cent by 2023; as ingredients in product categories such as analogues and extruded products by five to 10 per cent by 2023; and as ingredients in new markets such as pet food (20 per cent), aquafeed (10 per cent), and other industrial uses (10 per cent) by 2023.
• To have a pulse crop option for every arable acre in Canada by 2027.

The Agri-Innovation Program is an initiative from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). As part of this program, pre-commercialization research, development and knowledge transfer leading to innovative agriculture, agri-food and agri-based practices, processes, and products are supported. The Agri-Science Cluster is also part of this program, addressing several themes that are priorities to the industry and would request support toward several research activities across the country.

The Alberta Pulse Growers Commission has been an active participant in the Pulse Science Cluster 1 (2010 – 2013) under AAFC’s Growing Forward and is currently participating in the Pulse Science Cluster 2 (2013-2018) under AAFC’s Growing Forward 2. Pulse producers in Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan currently fund a significant portion of the pulse research into genetic improvement, agronomy and sustainable production, as well as end-use processing and utilization to advance value-added applications for pulses in existing and new markets. There is a continued need to increase the scope of pulse research and address the gaps that have been identified as standing in the way of continued market growth in this sector. The opportunity to leverage our industry funding with government funds will allow the pulse sector to address many of these knowledge gaps in these science Clusters over the next five years.

Please find the Request for LOIs and submission template as well as specific research priorities at https://pulse.ab.ca/producers/research-and-trials/call-for-research-proposals/.

Letters of Intent will be accepted until December 15, 2016 at 11:00 pm PST and should be sent by email to: Shirley Toms, Senior Research Program Manager (SPG) at stoms@saskpulse.com.

Discussion of research priorities with the provincial funding organizations is encouraged. Please contact the appropriate representative for each grower organization below:

Alberta Pulse Growers

Dr. Jenn Walker
Research Officer
E jwalker@pulse.ab.ca
T 780.986.9398

Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers

Laryssa Grenkow
Research Manager
E Laryssa@manitobapulse.ca
T 204.745.6488 ext. 6

Ontario Bean Growers

Jennifer Mitchell
Project Coordinator
E Jennifer@ontariobeans.on.ca
T 519.803.9847

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers

Dr. Lisette Mascarenhas
Director, Research & Development
E lmascarenhas@saskpulse.com
T 306.651.0859

Pulse Canada

Dr. Julianne Curran
Vice President, Food & Health
E jcurran@pulsecanada.com
T 204.925.4450

The Alberta Pulse Growers Commission (APG) invites pulse producers who want to grow the province’s pulse industry while developing their own leadership skills to let their names stand for election as an advisor in their zone.

“Advisors are essential to the success and continued growth of the commission and Alberta’s pulse industry,” said APG Chair Allison Ammeter. “Participating with the organization as an advisor is an opportunity for a producer to develop their personal and leadership skills. Advisors help guide research and extension activities specific to their zone. Directors on APG’s provincial board often serve as advisors first.”

Producers must have sold pulses within the last two years in order to be eligible as an advisor. A zone map on the next page outlines which areas are included as part of each zone. Anyone interested in becoming an advisor in their zone must be nominated by an eligible pulse grower at their zone annual general meeting. Positions that will be available as of this fall’s zone meeting are below along with meeting information.

• Zone 1 (2 available advisor positions) – Dec. 5, Heritage Inn, Taber
• Zone 2 (3 available advisor positions) – Nov. 23, Strathmore Civic Centre
• Zone 3 (3 available advisor positions) – Nov. 15, Westlock & District Community Hall
• Zone 4 (1 available advisor position) – Nov. 17, Dunvegan Inn, Fairview
• Zone 5 (5 available advisor positions) – Nov. 24, Vermilion Regional Centre

Anyone interested in letting their name stand for an advisor position is encouraged to contact the APG office with any questions they may have.

(Winnipeg) – Pulse Canada and the Canadian Special Crops Association (CSCA) support the Government of Canada’s long-term vision of a transportation system that is based on higher growth, increased competitiveness and better service.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced today that the Government will strengthen the ability to establish reciprocal penalties between shippers and railways in Service Level Agreements, better define adequate and suitable, improve access to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), improve the timelines on CTA decisions and address the future of the Maximum Revenue Entitlement and extended interswitching.

“Service level agreements that promote balanced accountability, a plan to ensure that the railways’ service obligations to the users of the system are made clear, and a commitment to address increasingly important extended interswitching provisions; effective implementation of these particular elements are vital to the Canadian pulse and special crops industry,” says Colin Topham, President of the CSCA. “It will be essential that the CTA is given the necessary power and authority to ensure these changes are effectively applied so pulse and special crop shippers can fully benefit from the predictable and effective rail service that drives export growth and access to international markets,” says Topham.

Minister Garneau also signaled the Government’s intent to address the Maximum Revenue Entitlement (MRE); a measure that is in place to ensure that grain freight rates are fair and just for farmers while providing an adequate return for railways.

“The pulse industry has made its views on the importance of the MRE known throughout the course of the Review of the Canada Transportation Act and in subsequent consultations with Minister Garneau and Minister MacAulay,” says Lee Moats, Chair of Pulse Canada. A recent ruling of the CTA that will result in the exclusion of certain traffic destined for transload in the Vancouver Gateway from the MRE calculation highlights the need to ensure that legislative guidance is clear and supports the spirit and intent of important policy measures. “This recent CTA ruling is evidence that the Act needs to be addressed. We expect that the government’s approach will be consistent with the message that Prime Minister Trudeau communicated in his mandate letters; that decisions and action will be informed by measurement, evidence and the views of Canadians and we’ve got some work to do to meet those criteria when it comes to the MRE,” says Moats.

In that regard, the commitment to develop and implement a comprehensive data regime to support evidence based decision making by government and all stakeholders is welcome news to the pulse and special crops industry. “We agree that smart decisions require access to the best available information and we look forward to operating in an environment where evidence fuels the decision making process,” says Moats.

“On the whole, the Government has identified the core issues that need to be addressed and we see opportunities to engage in the implementation plan. A great deal of consultation has been undertaken over the past 28 months; it’s time to build on all of the efforts to date to improve system performance and sustain them into the future,” says Topham.

Pulse Canada is the national association of growers, traders and processors of Canadian pulse crops. Canada is the world’s largest supplier pulses, with annual exports reaching more than 150 countries.

The Canadian Special Crops Association is the national industry association representing processors and exporters of special crops in Canada. Canadian special crops include pulses – beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas – as well as buckwheat, sunflowers, mustard and canaryseed.

For more information:

Courtney Hirota
Director of Strategic Communications
Pulse Canada
T 204.925.3782 / 204.791.8919
E chirota@pulsecanada.com

(Calgary, Alberta), October 24, 2016 – Announced earlier today, the Provincial Government’s $10 million investment in the agriculture industry aimed at further developing meaningful climate change advancements is good news for Alberta’s farmers, but work still needs to be done to minimize the financial impact of the carbon levy. Just last week, Team Alberta met with Environment and Parks Minister Phillips and Agriculture and Forestry Minister Carlier and made recommendations to invest in agriculture – a sector already contributing to the reduction and sequestration of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Team Alberta thanks both ministers for taking the time to meet and sees today’s news as a good first step from the Provincial Government in acknowledging that farmers are part of the climate change solution.

This funding will be transferred from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), formerly known as the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC), to enhance four existing Growing Forward 2 (GF2) programs.

“Alberta farmers have been committed to voluntary, continuous improvements that help reduce GHG intensity for decades,” said Kevin Auch, Alberta Wheat Commission Chair. “The financial impact that the carbon levy will have on farmers still needs to be further addressed. But these initial on-farm cost-saving measures indicate that Minister Phillips appreciates these improvements and is taking steps to work with the agriculture industry to further mitigate and adapt to climate change. ”

“We appreciate that the Provincial Government is directing funding from the ERA to Alberta’s largest renewable resource,” said Mike Ammeter, Alberta Barley Chair. “Today’s news is an indication that the government recognizes that farmers should not be solely responsible for the costs of new technology and practice improvement to meet societal objectives.”

“Some of these GF2 programs were already fully subscribed and this investment will reopen them for application,” said Allison Ammeter, Alberta Pulse Growers Chair. “GF2 programs are extremely valuable to agriculture industry advancements and this is a good first step forward.”

“The four crop commissions will continue to represent the interests of our members and emphasize agriculture’s commitment to voluntary advancements that help to reduce GHG intensity – all in the absence of regulations,” said Greg Sears, Alberta Canola’s Chair. “We will continue to encourage further government action to reduce the impact of the carbon tax on farmers and sustain our industry’s competitiveness.”

Team Alberta has learned that the $10 million in funding will be allocated to the following four GF2 programs: On-Farm Energy Management, Irrigation Efficiency, On-Farm Solar Photovoltaics and Accelerating Innovation. Within the on-farm energy management program, funding will be increased from 35 percent coverage for eligible costs with a $50,000 cap to 70 percent coverage with a $750,000 cap.

For more information, please contact:

Victoria Russell
Communications Specialist
Alberta Wheat Commission
T 403.219.7906
E vrussell@albertawheat.com

Trevor Bacque
Communications Manager
Alberta Barley
T 403.219.6266
E tbacque@albertabarley.com

Megan Madden
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
T 780.454.0844
E megan@albertacanola.com

Rachel Peterson
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Pulse Growers Commission
T 780.986.9398
E rpeterson@pulse.ab.ca

September 26, 2016 – Last week, representatives from Team Alberta met with provincial Transport Minister Brian Mason and Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier to deliver producer-focused messaging that addresses the imbalance of accountability and market power in Canada’s grain transportation system. The meeting took place prior to a final consultation meeting of federal provincial territorial (FTP) transport ministers set to take place on September 28.

The September 28 FTP consultation meeting is a key step in concluding the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) review led by Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau, and an important opportunity for provincial representatives to advocate for the needs of Alberta’s cropping sector. The CTA review is expected to be tabled in late 2016.

“Throughout the consultation process farmers and industry members have been united in their concerns about railway market power,” said Kevin Auch, Alberta Wheat Commission Chair.

“We are confident that our government will support our position by emphasizing the imbalance of power within the grain supply chain. Improved grain transportation service through commercial means is imperative in order to continue growing and diversifying Alberta’s economy,” added Allison Ammeter, Chair of the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission.

Alberta’s economy has always been highly dependent on the rail transportation system to fulfill critical social needs and fuel economic growth. Agriculture represents one of Alberta’s major exports with total merchandise exports of $10 billion in 2015. Over 11 million tonnes of cropping sector commodities were exported from Alberta, almost completely by rail, and the demand for rail service is growing.

“Transportation remains a key concern to Albertan grain producers, and it is necessary to have proper mechanisms in place that provide shippers the ability to negotiate penalties and contract terms that are equal to those currently charged by the railways,” said Kevin Serfas, Regional Director with Alberta Canola Producers Commission.

“We need to create a competitive marketplace that allows growers to move grain in a predictable and efficient manner,” added Mike Ammeter, Chair of Alberta Barley.

Team Alberta promotes four key recommendations to ensure Alberta’s rail service will be more fair, predictable and efficient:

Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) that include mandatory financial consequences for failure to perform to binding contract terms. SLAs will ensure costs due to poor railway performance are not downloaded to farmers by shippers.

Retain the Maximum Revenue Entitlement (MRE) to protect producers against excessive rate increases, as freight costs are transferred to the producer by shippers.

Continuous improvement of interswitching, including the extended interswitching limits be made permanent and improved efficiencies are reviewed, such as increasing interchange capacities or extending limits to 250 kilometers to enable modern day train efficiencies.

Clearer definition of adequate and suitable. We believe that railways need to provide service according to the needs of their customers the way it would function a true commercial systems. This can be accomplished by adding a clear, demand based definition of “adequate and suitable” service in the Canada Transportation Act.

Team Alberta is made up of the Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Pulse Growers Commission and Alberta Barley. Together the organizations represent over 43,000 farms across Alberta.

Media Contact

Rachel Peterson
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Pulse Growers Commission
T 780.986.9398 ext. 3
E rpeterson@pulse.ab.ca

Amanda Ryan
Communications Manager
Alberta Wheat Commission
T 403.219.7902
E amanda.ryan@albertawheat.com

Trevor Bacque
Communications Manager
Alberta Barley
T 403.219.6266
E tbacque@albertabarley.com

Megan Madden
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
T 780.454.0844
E megan@albertacanola.com

The Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) is pleased to provide farm safety awareness by investing $30,000 in a multi-year commitment to the Grain Safety Program operated by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA).

The Grain Safety Program includes the building of a mobile demonstration unit that can function as an awareness and training tool to help prevent incidents of people being trapped in grain, which CASA notes is on the rise across Canada.

“APG’s support of the Grain Safety Program is about reducing injuries and deaths on Alberta farms,” said APG Chair Allison Ammeter, who farms near Sylvan Lake. “Our directors felt that it is important for all producers, their families and their employees to take steps to prevent injuries on their farms, and we want to help them get the best information to stay safe around grain.”

The primary purpose of the program is to save lives, said CASA Executive Director Marcel Hacault.

“The mobile unit will be used to raise awareness about the hazards of moving grain,” he said. “It will also be available for training first responders in rescue techniques and by larger farms to develop customized emergency procedures.”

For more information about the Grain Safety Program, please visit casa-acsa.ca/grain or contact CASA at 877.452.2272 or info@casa-acsa.ca.

(Calgary, Alberta) The AgCoalition’s producer leadership recently completed a province-wide consultation process that reaffirmed the agriculture community’s commitment to lead the ongoing work to foster a culture of farm safety in Alberta.

“Farmers, ranchers and employees demonstrated excellent leadership in completing these sessions during a busy time of year,” said Kent Erickson, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “It is clear that the agriculture community is motivated to lead the process of developing a safety culture that works effectively at the farm and ranch level.”

The meetings used a series of workshops to gain specific insights into what will and will not work on a farm or ranch in relation to the five topics being discussed during the Government of Alberta’s Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Worker (Bill 6) consultation sessions. Participants also took time to identify current leading safety practices and discussed implementing a measurement approach to demonstrate improvement in agriculture safety over time. Throughout the workshops, producers expressed that farm and ranch safety should be industry-led and that the AgCoalition is poised to carry out this function.

“Farm and ranch safety has always been a top priority for the agriculture community and it was clear during our consultations that our industry wants to lead the process of building on this culture,” said Page Stuart, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “Given our far-reaching representation and producer-led structure, we believe this is an excellent function for the AgCoalition to carry out.”

Meeting insights are currently being compiled to inform key policy perspectives. In-turn, producer representatives who are part of the Government consultation process will bring forward these perspectives to ensure broader agriculture community representation. It is the expectation of the agricultural community that these persepctives be honoured and respectfully considered during the consultation process.

The AgCoalition was established on January 22, 2016 with a mandate to unify the farm and ranch community in an effort to foster a culture of farm safety in Alberta.

Media Contact

Victoria Russell
E vrussell@agcoalition.ca
T 403.219.7906
W AgCoalition.ca