UPDATE ON PFRA PASTURES IN SASKATCHEWAN

[SADIE]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9HnAm4Qh3I&feature=youtu.be

[kato]

[SADIE]

Thanks Kato Been off agriville awhile so I am rusty. Calving cows and many meetings bringing PFRA pasture patrons together. As of today there are 37 of the 62 pastures now members of cppas with 3 more wanting meetings and information before the end of April.

Great team of people to be working with.

[Horse]

I wish you lots of luck I think you are going to need it. When the powers that be get a bug up their ass there dont seem to be any way to stop them.
They want rid of the small producer and will go to any means to do it, like the crop ins biz, interest rates favor larger producers, machinery dealers and so on. As long as there are those that will sell their soal to look big and important the rest of us are finished.

[kato]

Finally got a chance to watch it. Good video. Nice to see you back SADIE. I was starting to think you'd fallen in a snowbank or something. ;-)

[per]

I'm not clear as to why the patrons don't just step up to the plate and buy their pastures and run private grazing co ops. There are plenty of examples of professionally run private grazing co ops that are the envy of anyone interested in good stewardship. Looks like an opportunity staring you in the face.

[SADIE]

Pasture groups have punched in the numbers. The business plan laid out by the Sask government is a "BUSINESS PLAN FOR FAILURE".

IF this continues as planned there is a huge exodus of smaller operators from the Beef Cattle Industry. Once the Patrons "quit" or bail then the door is open for the "big boys" to come in.

Per. Do you really understand how the PFRA pastures really worked for 75 years?

One pasture has a real problem of LEAFY SPURGE. DO you want to buy that pasture?.

The bush pastures in the north and the eastern side of the province are always short of cattle.

Toughest Chess Game I ever been involved in. So many players in the game.

[per]

Yes Sadie I get how they work. They are either economically viable or not. If the so called big players can pencil it why can't the patrons? Interesting that they are touted as the professionally run ecological gems yet aren't viable to purchase. The reason young folks aren't interested might have more to do with other factors and the PFRA system failed to attract them in the first place.

Don't get me wrong here though. PFRA has been an important part of Western Canada's development however I would prefer to look at the opportunity in front of you.

[kato]

Here's our experience with a pasture that has been sold to the patrons. The care the cattle got was excellent. Once the original cowboys started to retire, though, they were hard to replace, especially since there were no benefits and other things that come with being a federal employee. But the biggest problem we had was likely tied to the financing the group had to do to buy the pasture. We had to pay half of our grazing fees up front in February. I suspect there was a loan payment due. This is a pretty serious load on your cashflow, if you have to pay that much of your grazing fee more than three months before the cattle even leave home. This pasture, I'm sure, cost a lot less to buy than what will be on the market these days as well. I don't see a group being able to compete with the "big boys" when it comes to bidding for land at today's prices.

It seems that the cards are stacked against smaller diversified farms. And IMHO, smaller diversified farms are a much more reliable foundation to our food supply than the "too big to fail" undiversified, vulnerable to market crashes model that is so fashionable these days.

[SADIE]

Per

Patrons in each pasture have come together and pastures have become connected to "Exchange" knowledge in this process under cppas.

Moving forward we are watching what the Manitoba Business Plan is dealing with these pastures.

The first 10 pastures scheduled to be divested this year have had a frustrating winter.

Many meetings with themselves. Supposed to do a business plan and form an entity but how can that be done until the Federal level of pastures and the Provincial level of these pastures have concrete numbers to work with.

Many meetings and conference calls amongst pasture groups. We are looking at all options including some of the grazing groups in Alberta.

Each pasture is different in the "lands" structure. Federal Non-reversionary lands, provincial lands and RM lands.

Some of the first 10 pastures cannot move forward with their business plan until these land problems are taken care of.

It is now "maybe spring" and time to forget meetings and go to work. The feds have to get their "ducks in a row" first for this process to proceed.

Pick up the meeting process again next Nov.

[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.