UPDATE ON PFRA PASTURES IN SASKATCHEWAN

[per]

"Pick up the meeting process again next Nov."

Really Sadie? If you want the big outfits not to try to compete with you don't give them a six month strategic advantage. If you have to hire a person to help write the business plan, make it so. Don't put it on the shelf until November. It is not possible for there not to be time to fit a few meetings and conference calls in all summer and fall.

[SADIE]

per

Nothing can be done without the other groups the Feds and the Prov to give concrete figures.

It has been very clear that the Patrons come FIrst by Min of Ag.

Each pasture has their year of divestation.

The First 10 cannot proceed because the facts from the feds are not on the table.

The "big guys" cannot do a thing either.

Look at the video again. TLE with first nations come into play also. That process takes aprox 20 months in the game.

Per---I would love to have you at a meeting to really show you the complexity of this situation.

The only area in Alberta that is PFRA as you know is the Medicine Hat area military block. All your other grazing associations came together from Provincial Lands correct?

I recall you were at the Saskatoon SCA annual general meeting on Jan 24 (Thursday) ----I was standing at the back of the room watching all that action go down. I wish I would have met you Face to face then.

[per]

All your other grazing associations came together from Provincial Lands correct?

No not all. For eg. the Waldron was bought by a group of entrepreneurs to for a co op. Both deeded and lease land and has expanded a few times as well.

[SADIE]

Per

Here is what has come together so far in Saskatchewan. Cppas was formed and patrons from a pasture came together and now patrons from pastures are coming together and sharing the confusion that is out there dealing with PFRA divestation of lands.

All patron groups so far that have formed a steering committee and punched the nos have realized that there is "O" purchase of the lands it will be a lease situation. One or two pastures might purchase the "head quarter quarter or 1/2" and lease the rest.

One or two pastures of the first 10 appears to have asked to be first and had someone with someone behind ready to purchase the pasture. Patrons have rallied at all pastures and any aggression of this nature soon changed by that pasture joining CPPAS.

Head of Saskatchewan Lands has already backpeddled on some major comments. Patrons from one or two pastures appeared to have been told "if you don't jump on this now and be first" it will be sold out from under them". That is all now totally wrong.

A couple of pastures where this aggression nature took place the patrons are already commenting that rather than let an outsider "big Player" in and have a former patron of that pasture the "front Man"---lets vote 75 % and give it to the FIrst Nations and deal with them. There is merit to that in that lower grazing fees.

The SCA group is not looking good right now throughout the Pasture patrons across this province. It is a good thing the cattlemen from ALberta have commented many times on getting their checkoff $$ back from the ABP. I even like the Western Stockgrowers site because it is on their home page. There is even a form to use. Right Per

Some of us now have contacted the SCA and suggested to the SCA that look at Alberta. They have forms one can use.

NO this PFRA situation in Saskatchewan is a lot like negotiating with a Pipeline Company on land access rights.

"Do not be in a hurray and make that deal" The culture of Saskatchewan ranchers though is they are tires of their pasture patron meetings. Looking each other in the face. No positive nos to punch in figures. Get tiring after a while. SOme just want to throw up their hands and quit.

Not now. Cppas has the whole province talking and sharing knowledge. Cppas is watching to the East to the Manitoba lead on how they are working with their government and cattlemen's association on a restructured business plan.

Per-- No rush. Time to think about farming and summer. Pick up the meetings next fall and winter.

Patrons have to sign off a pasture first by quitting the program before anything else can proceed.

[per]

Thanks Sadie, I have enjoyed kicking this around with you on here. I hope it all works out, keep up the good work.

[WiltonRanch]

I was a patron of a pf pasture for a few years. I
thought it was a great deal. Drop your critters off in
the spring and pick em up in the fall. However I
knew the writing was on the wall several years
previous from some good sources. I knew these
pastures were a money losing venture from the get
go. Heck the guys in the pf said the oil revenue was
barely keeping them in the black, and they werent
even paying any lease to the owners the provincial
govt. Therefore this transition to grazing coops or
associations is going to be interesting. I honestly
don't know how you can even cost out grazing fees
close to what the pf did. Even if the provincial govt
gave the improvements away (which they should)
the day to day cost of employees, maintenance,
andkeeping a bull herd will be daunting. My honest
opinion is the prov govt should structure lease fees
at a lower rate because these pastures require more
management because of the sensitive
environments they contain.
I don't think the pasture committees should be
sitting pat for too long. What I found dealing with
govt guys is if you go to them with a workable plan
they are willing to deal. Standing back and getting
hostile won't solve much. I wouldn't worry about
Sunterra as much as I would about the fsin. They
are definately sniffing around.
What we worried about with our pasture was raising
enough money to address buying bulls, daily costs
etc. All these costs before you even turn a wheel.
Therefore, this is a complete frickin mess.

[SADIE]

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n523/kphaber/2013-01-19004628_zpse818ef0c.jpg?t=1366639034

[SADIE]

Tried to upload two pieces this morning and am rusty taking it out of photobucket. It appears some changes were made in that area.

Time to go to work. Will try again for tomorrow morning.

[grassfarmer]

[url="http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/kphab
er/media/2013-01-
19004628_zpse818ef0c.jpg.html"][img]http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n523/k
phaber/2013-01-19004628_zpse818ef0c.jpg[/img][/url]

[grassfarmer]

It's the third code down you need to use Sadie - the
one that says HTML and starts <ahref. I tried but it
will never post off a Mac for some reason. Don't have
time to fire up the old PC.