Alberta Beef Producers Town Hall Meeting

[pandiana]

Alberta Beef Producers will hold the first of a series of Town Hall Meetings in Rimbey Community Centre on March 29th at 7:00 pm.

Speakers will include ABP's 'inhouse' lawyer, Adrienne Waller who will bring an update on what ABP and CCA are doing towards the US border closure.

The latest on RFID tagging will be reviewed by Chris Giffen of CCIA.

In addition, Dr. Kee Jim will bring information on CCA activities.

The zone 6 delegates that you elected this fall will also give brief reports on the committee activies they attend on your behalf.

I believe it is very important that this hall is filled to capacity. If ABP is not fulfulling your expectations, then ABP needs to hear first hand what you would like them to do for you.

If there are 600 people in this hall, your presence alone will make a statement. Let's dialogue and get something done.

The following are some of the comments you have made over the last while. I know you have something to say so I will look forward to seeing you in Rimbey next Tuesday.


Bez
Could not agree more. However, there are the typical "do not get involved" crowd out there. Alberta Beef Producers had how many show up for the vote?

I am with Randy K. Test every gawddamn animal. Proactively steal every market the Yanks have / had. Kaiser has his shit together and the gov does not. Not enough of you folks out there are jumping up and down and screaming bloody murder.

Think people think! If you do not DEMAND action you will not get it.

Your ag leaders will not demand action until YOU do. They will simply do tea and crumpets with the big boys while you wither on the vine.

If you sit back, do nothing and bitch over coffee then you get what you deserve - NOTHING.



rpkaiser

Disband ABP, YES, in a heartbeat, and the CCA as well. What the hell have these groups done for any of you in the past two years besides beg the government for a few little welfare cheques.

Has anyone ever got a reply to a letter written to ABP or CCA. I use their feedback Email regularly, and have written at least 4 times since the AGM with concerns. Not one reply. Even Ralph and Shirley have a joe boy that sends a reply, with a copy of their signature on it.

Greybeard

From my experience with producer groups, it seems they are full of ideas and “piss and vinegar” when they first start, but soon deteriorate to spending most of the money trying to appear to be doing something. If you only get less than 20 people at a meeting, that means the last one you had wasn’t worth going.

BRW
In my earlier post in regards to ABP and marketing council I want to be clear that I'm not making excuses for the apparent lack of effectiveness that our organizations have displayed. I was merely pointing out my belief that the legislation and the structure under which the ABP operates pretty much precludes the outcomes of most situations

Cakudu
The point made about the Agricultural Products Marketing Council (or Marketing Council as it is known as) and revisiting/changing policies is a valid one. In many cases, I think policies regarding what we are doing in production must be looked at because the circumstances are so very different than when they were first drafted or even amended over the years.

We have been asked to make all these changes to our production/marketing etc., yet the policies governing all of it haven't changed much, if at all, to reflect current realities. Granted, you can't rewrite policy every time change occurs, but it seems to me that you can ensure that it is at least resembling reality to some degree.

Nicolaas
This has been going on for almost 2 years, and all the cattle organizations still tell us to wait for the border to open. And heaven forbid, we don't need to test because blah. blah .blah.. (more likely just scared of pissing off the US.) Our leaders are dinosaurs who are afraid of change, or have no idea how to adapt. I wonder if they run their operations the same way? THese people are getting stale and need to be replaced. When the U.S. economy crashes due to their huge deficits (trading and otherwise) would it not be a good idea not to be so dependent on their consumer? I say test everything, give our consumers what they want. If just one of these new plants coming on line would do this, and started exporting to the orient, the multinationals would modify thier plants to do the same awfully quick. I'm willing to tighten my belt for another couple years for the good of the canadian industry, because as it stands now we don't got much control over it yet. Hats off to you producers that are being proactive and involved in these new plants under consrtuction. You have my outmost respect for your foresight and willingness to take a chance!

[Bez]

It's too expensive for me to fly out from Ottawa - but you can be sure I will look forward to a report on the happenings.

If there is a poor turn out and no plan of action - well, you get what you deserve. I truly hope there are folks hanging from the rafters.

Bez

[grassfarmer]

Bez, I hope you weren't meaning ABP folks hanging from the rafters at the end of it!
Holding meetings like this at least gives producers the chance to get involved - hopefully they will this time around.

[grassfarmer]

ABP is taking the initiative and if producers don't take advantage of it, then they shouldn't complain.
Mind you, if the weather continues like this and folks are calving, it might not be the best time to expect a big turnout.

I hope to get there, but it will all depend on COWS !!!

[grassfarmer]

forgot to thank you for posting this information.

[Bez]

Grassfarmer

LOL - Rereaeding what I wrote, I see how I could be misinterpreted.

Then again .....

Regards

Bez

[farmers_son]

Re the comment that the hall should be filled to capacity. If I might play devils advocate for a minute I would respectfully suggest that it will be likely the ABP will only be playing to a small crowd.

Why? Because if you are running a traveling road show like this you need to be playing the music the folks want to hear. The ABP traveling to Rimbey with their lawyer, someone from CCIA and CCA is akin to a Gangster Rap Band going to Rimbey for a one night show and expecting to attract a crowd when what the people are really wanting to hear is good country music.

People are very interested in solutions to the crisis they are facing. They are looking to either the border opening or increased packing plant capacity as the two solutions to that crisis. The ABP and CCA have blown any credibility they may have had when they implied, if not outright told cattle producers, the border was going to open on March 7. Now we are hearing a host of guesses on the border opening from these same people, 6 months, 18 months, or worse, no more beef exports to the U.S. But I think our representatives are really sidelined in the discussion. They obviously did not know what was happening prior to March 7, no reason to believe they know now. Same BS, different day.

And ABP/CCA has refused opportunity after opportunity to take initiatives to see more packing plant capacity built to compete with Cargill and Tyson/IBP. Again, they have sidelined their respective organizations from any discussion the cattle producers at Rimbey and elsewhere are interested in. They are singing a tune no one wants to hear. No one wants to hear the ABP singing the old song “they can’t participate in packing plants” when all it would take is a change in the Plan Regulations. Or how about this melody “ABP’s Lawyers are Working on Opposing the R-Calf Injunction.” Would these be the same lawyers the ABP was spending money on before the R-Calf injunction and who could not get standing at the hearing or who sat back and let this case be heard before Justice Cebull? Let’s not forget this old standby… “We need to infect our herd with Anaplasmosis and Bluetongue so the Border will open”. Last time I checked, ABP/CCA was still standing before the border gate singing that tune but like the gang of Forty Thieves in the Tales of Arabian Nights the gate still won’t open.

Again, if I were to play devils advocate, I would say if the ABP/CCA wants to hold a concert in Rimbey, they are going to have to start playing better music.

[gwf]

Farmer-Son: Why would you want to take on Tyson and Cargill when you don't have to and secondly, why do you think ABP is the group that should be building a packing plant?

[grassfarmer]

gwf, Why take on Cargill and Tyson? if we don't there is little future for beef producers - these monopolies HAVE to be broken. I don't think ABP should be building packing plants - but they should be backing their members who want to see plants built rather than opposing them.

How fitting you use a musical analogy farmers_son - on the same night as the ABP meeting in Rimbey an ageing rock band Trooper are playing across the road in the local tavern. I'm guessing they will have 10 times the crowd the ABP meeting has.

I'm dismayed to see the Rimbey paper today has no mention of the ABP meeting, no write up, no advert. This is going to be just another farce with producers picking up the tab for bringing ABP speakers from around the Province to an expensive venue with no crowd. How do you expect people to come if they don't know about it?

[grassfarmer]

If the Rimbey paper was aware of it and chose not to write about it thats one thing but if ABP has not advised the local media then their communications isn't working well.
Some local newspapers don't write about an event unless it has been advertised in their paper, or choose to do a story about it after it takes place.

[kpb]

I'll be amazed if anyone turns out to hear what these clowns have to say. They have no credibility left. None. They have done absolutely nothing since this crisis hit us and if they had any self-respect they'd resign. As far as coming out to hear any of these guys speak--what for? Do you really think you're going to learn anything? I'll tell you what--you're going to learn a lot more from the guys on this site than from anyone you talk to at ABP. What makes any of you guys think these guys are worth listening to? Just blind faith?
It would be a whole lot better message to them if no-one at all showed up for any of their meetings. Then they'd know they were just talking and talking and talking to themselves which is what they're best at anyways.

[pandiana]

Regarding the Rimbey and other Zone 6 local papers, it is very unfortunate that the deadlines have been missed. My understading is that because of the Easter holiday, there was an abbreviated deadline. ABP was waiting for a reply from the minister's office to see who was going to represent them at the meeting and as a result cut things a little too short.

On the other hand, over 70 radio spots have been booked.

[kpb]

They've got lots of money to hold meetings everywhere and book 70 radio spots and advertise and all this other bs but nothing in the way of support, either financial or verbal, for kaiser's group when they are actually trying to do something that would actually benefit us--build a packing plant that we could own and benefit from.
ABP is all form and no substance.

kpb

[pandiana]

farmers_son. You are missing the point. If you want ABP to change their position, expressing an opinion on this forum will probably not have much effect. However, if there are 600 people, or even 30 who are united and speaking with one voice, I am convinced ABP will hear you. If you want a grassroots organization to represent you, the grassroots producer must be present and willing to speak.

It is my feeling, that the position of ABP has changed dramatically since this last border closure. No more Mr. Nice Guy. It's up to the producers to find out if this is true. Get out and make things happen if you are not satisfied. It's time to request the tune you want to dance to? How do you expect your representatives to work for you if they are working in a vacumn.

[pandiana]

kbp
An interesting point. The reason for having Town Hall Meetings is to create an opportunity to communicate with grassroots producers; to let them know what they are proposing to do to represent you. Now you say its not worth going to hear what they say? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

If you think BIG proposal needs support, the government and ABP are represented. Let them know what you think, hopefully in a civil and productive way.