(Calgary, Alberta) The AgCoalition says more information is required on the terms of reference and mandate of the Bill 6 consultation tables before it can determine if the process is likely to result in regulations that make sense for those who will be affected the most: farmers, ranchers and their employees.

After seeing the complete participant list following today’s announcement, the AgCoalition believes there are still a number of unanswered questions about whether the process will operate with a mandate to develop regulations that will reflect the needs of Alberta’s agriculture community.

“Knowing the terms of reference, leadership and expertise of the table members is key information going into this process,” said Kent Erickson, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “We believe that our members need to know whether they will be on a level playing field to develop regulations that increase the safety of farms and ranches in Alberta for their families and workers.”

“We firmly believe that the best way for the government to engage the agriculture industry is to build processes that are supported by transparency and inclusion,” said Page Stuart, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “We’re looking to government to demonstrate their willingness to work collaboratively with Alberta’s farmers, ranchers and their employees.”

The AgCoalition has been informed that it will fill 23 of the 72 seats at the consultation sessions.

The AgCoalition will continue to represent farmers, ranchers and their employees on a productive path forward to strengthen the producer voice throughout the consultation process and to build on farm and ranch safety practices.

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
Communications Specialist
E vrussell@agcoalition.ca
T 403.219.7906

(Calgary, Alberta) The Farm Sustainability Extension Working Group (FSEWG) is pleased to announce that Jolene Noble of Manning, Alberta, has been hired as an Extension Coordinator to develop, coordinate, and implement an extension program to increase Alberta producers’ awareness of on-farm sustainability.

Organized by the FSEWG with funding support from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Growing Forward 2 Program, this collaborative role is in place to address a growing need for the crop sector to meet high sustainability standards to maintain and expand international market competitiveness.

“Sustainable agriculture is becoming increasingly important in building market access opportunities and ensuring the long-term viability of our industry,” says Noble. “I look forward to contributing to these end-goals by working with producers to bring awareness to social license issues and highlighting on-farm best management practices.”

Noble brings extensive professional program coordination experience from the beef industry where she successfully managed programs for youth and advocacy. Additionally, she has actively participated in programs such as the McDonald’s Sustainability Pilot Project, Verified Beef Production, and the Environmental Farm Plan from a producer perspective on her family’s mixed farm.

In this position, Noble will support the crop commissions in better understanding farmer readiness with respect to internationally recognized sustainability standards and best management practices. This information will be derived via phone survey to be conducted by Ipsos Reid this summer, building on the information compiled through the Alberta Crops Sustainability Certification Pilot Project that was collaboratively delivered during the spring of 2015. Noble will subsequently develop and deliver coordinated extension programming to support the crop commissions’ membership in positioning their operations to meet current and emerging sustainability market standards.

The FSEWG is comprised of Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Pulse Growers Commission, and the Alberta Wheat Commission. Working on behalf of our producer membership, we are committed to assessing and meeting areas of need for on-farm sustainability extension and education.

For more information, please contact:

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

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

Ellen Cottee
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Barley
T 403.219.7914
E ecottee@albertabarley.com

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

(Calgary, Alberta) Alberta’s crop commissions are pleased to learn that the Federal Government has signaled its intension to extend measures within the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act that have helped improve railway accountability and competition. The postponement of the August 1, 2016 repeal of these measures aligns with recommendations made by Team Alberta during its outreach mission to Ottawa last week.

The year-long extension of provisions within the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) includes maintaining current interswitching limits of 160kms which has promoted railway competition and flexibility for shippers. Additionally, the Government of Canada will retain its ability to prescribe minimum grain movement by rail, an important mechanism of railway accountability.

“This welcomed news from the Federal Government demonstrates that Transportation Minister Garneau and Agriculture Minister MacAulay have listened to the concerns of western Canada’s grain producers and understand the importance of a reliable and predictable transportation system to move our commodities into the marketplace,” said Kevin Auch, Alberta Wheat Commission Chairman.

“While the Minister of Transport considers the recommendations presented in the CTA review report, we will continue to advocate for measures that promote long-term railway accountability and adequate rail service,” added Mike Ammeter, Chair of Alberta Barley.

The Federal Government’s news closely follows the Team Alberta Outreach Mission, a week on parliament hill where representatives from the crop commissions including Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola Producers and Alberta Pulse Growers, along with our colleagues at Grain Growers of Canada, met with top decision makers from Canada’s major political parties to discuss priorities for Alberta grain producers. Long-term transportation provisions and the extension of Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, were top priorities during the meetings.

“We made it a priority to develop relationships with key federal policy makers during the Team Alberta outreach mission. In doing so, we encouraged decision makers to take steps forward to foster long-term improvements to the reliability and predictability of our grain and oilseed transportation system,” said Terry Young, Alberta Canola Producers Commission director.

“The movement of our crops continues to be a priority for farmers,” said Allison Ammeter, Chair of Alberta Pulse Growers. “The global demand for our products and our export capabilities rely on farmers and shippers getting product to port. Rail use is a huge part of the chain. The signaled intent from government to keep these tools available for farmers and shippers is very positive.”

The extension of these provisions is an important step in promoting long-term improvement of rail service for the grain industry. The crop commissions look forward to further advancing our working relationship with the Federal Government and advocating for additional railway accountability measures such as reciprocal penalties to ensure that railways and shippers receive fair service through service level agreements and improved accountability from both parties.

For more information, contact:

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

Ellen Cottee
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Barley
T 403.219.7914
E ecottee@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

(Calgary, Alberta) The Alberta crop commissions, along with our colleagues at the Grain Growers of Canada spent last week on parliament hill to meet with top decision makers from Canada’s major political parties and discuss priorities for Alberta grain producers.

Key priorities of the Team Alberta delegation included grain transportation reform, international trade, and public investment in research and sustainability.

“Agriculture in Alberta is a $13.3 billion dollar industry and a significant contributor to Canada’s economy so it is imperative that the crop commissions come together and get in front of elected officials to deliver our message and share our story and priorities,” said Terry Young, Director with the Alberta Canola Producers Commission.

The Team Alberta lobby trip included a delegation of Directors from the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Barley, Alberta Wheat Commission and the Grain Growers of Canada. The delegation met with representatives from all political parties and shared a united message about how the government can support Canadian farmers.

With the recent release of the Emerson report on the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) review, transportation and the extension of Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act were also top priorities during the meetings.

“Long-term solutions to Canada’s grain transportation system continue to be important for farmers,” said Henry Vos, Director with the Alberta Wheat Commission. “While the crop industry was pleased to be part of the consultations on the CTA review, the final report fails to provide specific recommendations that farmers feel will improve Canada’s transportation system.”

“Canadian grain producers need adequate rail service, balanced commercial accountability and the retention of competitive provisions to improve rail service,” added Mike Ammeter, Chair of Alberta Barley. “We are calling upon the government and Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport to extend the provisions within Bill C-30 while a long-term solution for improving our rail transportation system is developed. The provisions within the Bill include extending interswitching limits to 160 km to promote competition, and other features to keep railways more accountable for poor performance.”

“Another of the main priorities we discussed was how the government can support a competitive, predictable and open trade environment by ensuring that the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) are both ratified immediately,” said Gary Stanford, President of the Grain Growers of Canada.

The TPP agreement would increase demand for Canada’s agricultural exports and ensure Canada can remain competitive in key markets, as two of our major competitors, Australia and the United States, would otherwise see preferential access to key Canadian markets within the TPP zone.

Other topics of discussion included the need for continued and stable research funding and capacity, as well as the need to consider the significant innovations and leadership role farmers have taken in protecting the environment and sequestering soil carbon when it comes to carbon tax discussions.

“Farmers work toward sustainability to help us save money, but also to sequester carbon and better the environment in the long-term,” added Fraser Robertson, Director with the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission. “A lot of people don’t realize what is happening on the farm, so it is good for us to have the opportunity to share our message with government representatives.”

For more information, contact:

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

Ellen Cottee
Communications Coordinator
Alberta Barley
T 403.219.7914
E ecottee@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

Gary Stanford
President
Grain Growers of Canada
T 403.795.8449
E gstanford@albertawheat.com

(Calgary, Alberta) The AgCoalition is pleased to announce that they have formed an Industry Leadership Advisory Committee (ILAC); a producer-led group that will guide AgCoalition initiatives from engaging with farmer and rancher peers to representing their interests in the consultation phase of Bill 6.

The ILAC builds on the positive momentum of the AgCoalition’s activities and was formalized during the second AgCoalition meeting on March 2. The ILAC will consist of one producer from each of the AgCoalition’s 29 member organizations.

“The AgCoalition has operated as a ‘by producers, for producers’ organization since our inception,” said Kent Erickson, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “Formalizing the Industry Leadership Advisory Committee takes this a step further by putting the structure in place to connect our producer ambassadors with their peers across the province.

One of the ILAC’s functions will be to host meetings in Southern, Central and Northern Alberta to garner Bill 6-related feedback from producers. Dates and locations for these meetings will be announced in the coming weeks and sessions will take place throughout the consultation process.

“A face-to-face connection is the best way to engage with producers to make sure they know what’s happening at the consultation tables and to give them an opportunity to provide feedback,” said Page Stuart, AgCoalition Co-Chair.

The AgCoalition continues to encourage producers to write info@agcoalition.ca with questions, comments and feedback and invites producer-based organizations not yet involved in the AgCoalition to join us.

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

Media Contact

Victoria Russell
Communications Specialist
E vrussell@agcoalition.ca
T 403.219.7906

The newly-established Alberta Agricultural Farm and Ranch Safety Coalition and the Government of Alberta would like to take this opportunity to provide the following update:

(Calgary, Alberta) Following a meeting yesterday, Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier and the Alberta Agriculture Farm and Ranch Safety Coalition (the AgCoalition), reached a go-forward agreement on how to work together to improve safety on farms and ranches.

“No one cares more about farm and ranch safety than farmers and ranchers. I am pleased they have come together to work with us to ensure the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act serves their needs and the needs of their waged employees.” – Oneil Carlier, minister of agriculture and forestry.

“We are pleased that the AgCoalition is recognized as a positive means to move forward on upcoming consultation processes,” said AgCoalition co-chair Page Stuart. Co-chair Kent Erickson added that “the AgCoalition has developed internal governance structures to ensure broad-based participation in the consultation process, and looks forward to working with the government in considering processes to staff the consultation working groups.”

Representatives from across the AgCoalition will be meeting in central Alberta next week to review the recommended path forward for consultation.

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and the AgCoalition, continue to seek nominations for working group members to participate in the next phase of consultations on the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act.

The working group will be established to develop recommendations on how occupational health and safety practices, employment standards, and labour relations requirements can be effectively applied given the unique needs of employers and employees in the agriculture sector.

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

Media Contact

Victoria Russell
Communications Specialist
E vrussell@agcoalition.ca
T 403.219.7906

(Calgary, Alberta) The Alberta Agriculture Farm And Ranch Safety Coalition (The AgCoalition) is pleased to announce new measures that align with the mandate to unify the farm and ranch community in effort to foster a culture of farm safety in Alberta. Measures include a formalized governance structure, new communications and producer feedback mechanisms and preliminary plans for the Provincial Government’s consultation sessions set to begin this spring.

The AgCoalition’s governance structure is built on several working groups that will engage producers, strategic thinkers representing both the crop and livestock sector, and staff resources from the AgCoalition’s membership organizations. External expertise will be called in as required.

“With the Provincial Government consultation sessions in the near future, we have been working hard to formalize our governance structure to ensure we have the resources in place to represent the agriculture industry most effectively,” said Page Stuart, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “Our mandate is to represent our sector with a unified voice, and we believe our governance structure reflects that.”

Additionally, the AgCoalition has developed several communications and producer feedback mechanisms including reestablishing the crop commission’s Bill 6 survey – which will now remain open until February 26th – and implementing the email address info@agcoalition.ca for farmers and ranchers to write with feedback and questions. Plans for a website launch are also in the works to ensure that information and updates for the agriculture sector are easily accessible.

“Transparency with the farm and ranch community is a priority to us,” said Kent Erickson, AgCoalition Co-Chair. “We have been working to develop effective communications mechanisms to connect with our membership and the farmers and ranchers we represent to ensure inclusiveness across our industry.”

As the agriculture sector progresses toward the government consultation sessions, the AgCoalition has requested that its membership work collaboratively to determine who will represent the industry throughout this process. The intent is to recommend farmers, ranchers, employees and technical experts who will best represent the industry.

The AgCoalition does not favour the current model that the government has proposed for the consultation sessions, and intends to bring forward concerns to the Provincial Government with suggestions to develop a less fragmented approach that would result in more meaningful and effective consultations.

More information on the AgCoalition’s governance structure, communications and producer feedback mechanisms and plans for the consultation sessions is available in the backgrounder below.

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

Media Contact

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

Backgrounder

The AgCoalition is pleased to provide farmers and ranchers with an update of our efforts so far, working with a mandate to unify our industry in effort to foster a culture of farm safety in Alberta. The following backgrounder will cover the AgCoalition’s governance structure, communications protocols and preliminary plans for how we will approach the upcoming provincial government Bill 6 consultations.

Governance structure

The AgCoalition has developed a governance structure which we believe will be the most efficient way to represent our industry while ensuring that we have resources in place to move our work forward. As we progress toward the consultation sessions, these groups will work collaboratively to ensure that policy positions developed reflect the needs of our sector. Our governance structure includes:

• Farm Safety Coalition Strategy Committee: This group of general managers and executive directors representing both the crops and livestock sectors will provide strategic support to the Industry Advisory Forum and Technical Working Group.
• Technical Working Group: This group will be populated with AgCoalition membership staff and industry representatives and could potentially include external expertise if needed. This group will undergo the daily work efforts that the AgCoalition will require. Participants of this group will be confirmed after the next AgCoalition meeting on March 2nd.
• Industry Advisory Forum: This group of producers will interface with the AgCoalition and provide regular input to the work that is taking place.
• GOA Regulatory Consultation Interface: These are the AgCoalition representatives who will eventually interface with government, supported by the Strategy Committee and Technical Working Group.
• Communication and Administration Group: This group will engage with the Strategy Committee on communication initiatives and will ensure that the AgCoalition has effective administrative process in place.

The Provincial Government Consultation Process

On Feb 11th, many agriculture organizations involved with the AgCoalition received nomination packages for the consultation process. The government has taken steps forward to proceed with a six table approach to the consultations, where industry representatives would consult on Employment Standards, Unique Considerations, OHS Best Practices, Technical Rules, Education and Training, Employment Standards and Labour Relations.

The AgCoalition does not favour this fragmented approach. During our inaugural January 22nd meeting, the AgCoalition membership tested the six table approach. The conclusion was that there is significant crossover of information within these six topics, and dividing the work into six tables would fragment the consultations, making them less effective.

Kent Erickson and Page Stuart, the AgCoalition’s co-chairs, will meet with Minister Carlier and Deputy Minister Yee on February 24th where they will bring forward our concerns with this approach.

With regards to the nomination packages, while the AgCoalition does not favour the current model for the consultation sessions, AgCoalition members are asked to forward nominations for the consultations to the strategy committee. In doing so, the AgCoalition will be able to coordinate with nominees and optimize our consultation effort – regardless of the consultation format – to ensure meaningful and effective consultation sessions.

Communications practices and mechanisms for feedback

The AgCoalition is pleased to implement several different mechanisms for communications both incoming and outgoing. We want to ensure that the farmers and ranchers we are representing are able to contribute their feedback to our process. Here’s how the AgCoalition will operate with an open and transparent mandate:

• Survey to garner Bill 6 feedback: The crop commissions initiated a crop and livestock sector survey to garner farmer and rancher opinions on the four pillars of Bill 6. The AgCoalition membership wishes to thank the crop commissions for this work, which has now been transferred over to the AgCoalition in alignment with our unified approach to industry representation. The survey deadline has been extended and will now close on February 26th. Final results will be provided to the AgCoalition in preparation for the consultation sessions. The AgCoalition also plans to publicly release these results to ensure farmers and ranchers are informed on how this process turned out. The survey is available at https://svy.mk/233nWTA.
• AgCoalition email: The AgCoalition has set up an email address and we wish to invite farmers and ranchers to contact us at any time at info@agcoalition.ca.
• Website to be launched: The AgCoalition is working to develop a website that will house updates as we progress toward the government consultation sessions.

The AgCoalition wishes to thank farmers and ranchers who have already provided input. We value this information, and will provide your responses to our working groups in preparation for the consultation sessions.

AgCoalition members include:

• Alberta Barley Commission
• Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association
• Bison Producers of Alberta
• Alberta Beef Producers
• Alberta Hatching Egg Producers
• Breeds and Industry Committee of Alberta Equestrian Federation
• Alberta Beekeepers Commission
• Alberta Milk
• Egg Farmers of Alberta
• Alberta Canola Producers Commission
• Alberta Oat Growers Commission
• Feeders Association
• Alberta Cattle Feeders
• Alberta Pork
• Forage Network
• Alberta Chicken Producers
• Alberta Pulse Growers Commission
• Hutterite Standing Committee
• Alberta Egg Producers
• Alberta Seed Growers Association
• Landscape Alberta
• Alberta Elk Commission
• Alberta Turkey Producers
• Potato Growers of Alberta
• Alberta Vegetable Growers (Processing)
• Western Barley Growers Association
• Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association
• Alberta Wheat Commission
• Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association
• Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association
• Alfalfa Seed Commission (Alberta)
• Western Stock Growers’ Association

The Alberta Pulse Growers Commission has confirmed that pulse growers who paid service fees (check-off) are again eligible for the Scientific Research and Experimental Design (SR&ED) Tax Credit.

The SR&ED Tax Credit can be earned on the portion of the producers’ service fees which were paid to an approved research entity as determined by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Each year, a percentage of the Alberta Pulse Growers investment into research is calculated for the per cent eligible for that tax year. Producers who have paid check-off this past year and have not asked for refunds are eligible claimants for this year’s credit.

For the 2014-15 fiscal year, 18.5 per cent of pulse check-off fees that were deducted from a producer’s cash ticket are eligible for the tax credit.

The SR&ED Tax Credit application form can be downloaded directly from the CRA website. Individual producers need to apply using the form T2038 (IND) and Canadian controlled private corporations should utilize the form T2SCH31. Individuals have 17.5 months from the end of their fiscal year to apply retroactively.

For more detailed information about the SR&ED Tax Credit APG advises you to contact an accountant or the Canada Revenue Agency.

(Calgary, Alberta) Four of the crop commissions, Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola Producers Commission and Alberta Pulse Growers Commission, are fostering hands-on farm safety education opportunities by hosting a series of FarmSafe workshops throughout Alberta this March.

These free, one-day FarmSafe workshops will provide training and educational manuals to help farmers develop a complete health and safety management system tailored to their unique operations. FarmSafe workshops will take place on March 7 in Red Deer, March 9 in Grande Prairie and March 10 in Lethbridge.

“Our commissions are steadfast in our belief that education is more effective than legislation in preventing serious injuries and farm fatalities,” said Jason Lenz, Alberta Barley vice-chairman. “These FarmSafe workshops are a proactive way to apply this approach, and ensure farmers have access to materials that guide safe and healthy farming operations.”

The workshops allow participants to choose their focus within the elements of the FarmSafe plan that make most sense for their operation. They can also choose to complete the FarmSafe modules at their own pace, beyond the one-day workshop.

“The advantage of the FarmSafe course we are coordinating is that producers can design the experience that they want. A producer can show up to the workshop and decide they want to implement all, or whichever parts of the FarmSafe plan apply to their operation, in whatever way is most appropriate,” Lenz added.

Participation is free of charge and those attending the workshops will be given access to additional free online resources and advice beyond the workshop dates. Producers can find more information and register for the workshops by visiting any of the commissions’ websites at albertabarley.com, albertawheat.com, albertacanola.com and pulse.ab.ca (in the calendar section). The FarmSafe plan was created by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

Media Contact

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