By TOM STEVE
Rolling
FORWARD
Farmmeetingsain’twhat they
usedtobe
The first farmmeetings I
covered as a young radio reporter in Wey-
burn, SK were pretty sullen affairs.
Topics such as rail line abandonment,
the Crow Rate and income stabilization
were standard fare, with passionate state-
ments from farm leaders for and against
the forces of change.
There was usually a pot of coffee at the
back of the community hall and maybe
some baking courtesy of the local United
Church Women, but otherwise no frills
and often little optimism about the future
of agriculture.
Things didn’t get a lot sunnier in the
late ’80s when drought, grasshoppers
and trade wars severely depressed farm
incomes and launched the era of acre-
age-based support payments, starting with
a $1-billion payout to western Canadian
farmers in 1987. I recall one of my farmer
friends joking that the key to success in
grain farming in those days was owning
several mailboxes so he could receive all
the government cheques.
The ’90s brought more tough times
than good times, spawning a series of
programs and contentious farm meet-
ings to debate their merits. There was
the Gross Revenue Insurance Program
(GRIP), the Net Income Stabilization Ac-
counts (NISA) and, of course, the wildly
unpopular Agricultural Income Disaster
Assistance (AIDA) program.
And then there were the massive farm
rallies, tractor cavalcades and legislature
sit-ins of the late ’90s as the income crisis
forced many farmers to resort to desperate
measures. Farming started to look more
like a protest movement than a major
contributor to the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP). In the early 2000s, farmers braved
blizzard conditions to attend meetings
hosted by a group called “Focus on Sabbat-
ical,” which aimed to drive up grain prices
through a collective effort to take land out
of production.
Rationalization of the grain-handling
system contributed to the negative tone as
hundreds of elevators were shuttered in
Western Canada, often accompanied by a
testy meeting between grain company of-
ficials and local farmers. I attended many
of these meetings and can attest to the
fact they were difficult and often emotion-
al conversations.
Thankfully, the economic picture for
grain farming and the mood of farmers
in general has undergone a remarkable
change in recent years. And with it, a
new generation of farm meetings has
emerged that focus on the opportunities
and bright future for the agriculture
industry in Canada.
Since the big turnaround in grain prices
in 2008 we have witnessed an increas-
ing focus on farm conferences aimed
at farmers as CEOs of small- and medi-
um-sized businesses. Topics include not
just agronomy, but also strategic planning,
human resources management and new
technology.
If you happened to attend FarmTech
2015 in Edmonton in January, you were
treated to a lineup of speakers that would
rival any elite business forum for pro-
fessionals or CEOs in any line of work,
anywhere in the world. From the CBC’s
Peter Mansbridge, to improv comedian
Colin Mochrie and “Gen Y Guy” Jason
Dorsey, the 1,750 registrants at this year’s
sold-out event enjoyed three days of learn-
ing, networking and entertainment that is
second to none. And I’m proud to say the
FarmTech concept is spreading to other
provinces. Saskatoon, SK now plays host
to CropSphere each January, and the Win-
nipeg, MB version in February is known
as CropConnect.
Many other premium farm conferenc-
es have sprung up in Western Canada
in recent years, including the Farming
Smarter Conference in Southern Alberta,
Agri-Trend’s Farm Forum in Saskatoon
and the annual FCC Forums. These events
are giving forward-looking farmers an
opportunity to grow their knowledge and
remain competitive in an ever-changing
global marketplace.
The transformation of farm conferences
over the years has been great to witness.
Farmers still have many challenges to deal
with in managing their businesses, but the
attitude and enthusiasm in the agriculture
community has never been better.
Tom Steve is the general manager of the
Alberta Wheat Commission.
Spring
2015
Grains
West
8
Agconferences strikingamore positive tone
