Grassland selloff

[ALLFARMER]

That sounds great Smc!

[per]

The Alberta Government talks about doing conservation through Land Trusts and other tools which is good but why take a tract of native grass which they already own and therefore is already protected from development and the natural capital is intact and sell it to private interests to be cultivated and pretend that using that money in an Eco friendly manner diminishes the fact that breaking up the native ecosystem is OK if we protect something else somewhere else. The something else somewhere else could be protected as well as the land they removed the protection from.

Just to be clear, my neighbor broke a bunch of native grass last year. Although I found it personally sad this was his land and his prerogative to break it up. The land we are discussing here is crown land and it is inconsistent to say the least for the crown to sell something that they have repeatedly pointed out needs protecting. Just like them to make something more not less vulnerable.

Sorry for the runnnnn onn sentences above but a rant is a rant.

[ASRG]

The fact is simple? Paying off a political debt. Big party contributions require big pay offs?
Note very clearly this land will not be sold to anyone who can't irrigate and grow potatoes? Sort of limits the field of bidders?
The timing is right. Outgoing premier isn't going to do anything....incoming premier won't have time before the tender ends! the people and media will be focussing on getting a new leader for the government and very possibly a snap election? Who will be watching or worrying about a piece of grass out in the boondocks?

[per]

I visited with a journalist working for a few radio stations yesterday. She has been digging into this story and was rather excited about bringing this all out in the open again. So maybe the information will hit the streets again. Of course not everyone sees this as an issue.

[smcgrath76]

It was on the Ab Conservation Radio
program this morning.
I liken the logic to shooting the second
last bengal tiger so you can sell the hide
to protect more tigers.

[per]

Thanks for that, at least now I can get my mind around the logic.

[Happytrails]

Whoo-ee, it must be worse than I thought. When bona fide primary agriculture producers start advocating a moratorium on cultivation (the foundation of civilization)I can't imagine what is next. All cultivated ground was either a forest or grassland before. If we are to keep the world fed we can't quit the game that got us here. HT

[wd40]

All you need to do is find on that land a rare garder snake close to extinsion and it will be put into permanent conservatory propert.

[Kathy]

The government of Alberta is double-speaking; first, they say that water management is a major reason for the Land Stewardship Act and now they want to allocate more water for irrigation on NEWly plowed land. Can they have their cake and eat it too? Can they deprive us of our land rights and property yet offer up a new oasis to the highest bidder?

Smells of a plot to grant a friend this property,
OR,

- "there's oil under that there land, maybe even GOLD or Silver".... and once the land is sold for "agricultural purposes", and the land "privatized".... the "development" of the other resources under it can be accomplished much easier. Time will tell!

[FarmForProfit]

smcgrath76

Do you know how to post pics? Just
curious cause the old boy just got our 90
ish year old barn roof redone with green
tin and I'm curious which looks better.
I'll try to figure out how to post a pic
to compare.

[per]

Happy Trails, the discussion goes to government policy under the Land Use Framework to preserve the exact type of land they propose to sell. Either the native land has an Environmental/Ecological value or it doesn't. SRD certainly believes that something more sensitive than this tract must be saved from ourselves. The question would be which bit of native grass provides EGS worth something and which does not. This notion of selling native grass is inconsistent with the governments own policies. I certainly have land I wish was still in native grass and had never seen the plow. Hard to put it back once you break it and it will still be there when it is really necessary to put it to a different use.

[ASRG]

If there is suddenly this great "demand" for more agricultural land why wouldn't the government put this 16,000 acres up for tender in either lots of quarters or sections? Why one huge block?
The original sweet heart deal was for $800-$1000/acre. Who has $10-16 million laying around? Wouldn't it make more sense to let a lot of people have a kick at the can....instead of one big Tory backer?
The second question is who will build and pay for the irrigation infrastructure to get the water to the potatoes?
How does the government go against the very "advisory panel" they appointed under the Land Use Framework? If Mel Knight can over rule anything they "advise"....why bother having them in the first place? Are they nothing more than phony window dressing to sell ALSA?
This deal smells to high heaven and should be immediately cancelled!