ABP Zone 6 Fall Producer Meetings

[pandiana]

The following is the Agenda for the Alberta Beef Producers Zone 6
Fall Meetings at Camrose Exhibition Grounds, Camrose AB Wednesday, Nov 1, 2006 and Breton Community Centre, Breton, AB
Thursday, November 2, 2006

ABP Zone 6 is attempting to bring realistic evaluation of the current status of the cattle industry in Alberta…in Canada. We will try to identify and explore today’s key factors affecting the fragile competitive nature of this very important industry as policies change and new initiatives are born. What do we need to do to survive and thrive?

9:30 Registration and Coffee (Sponsored by Drever Agency, PetroCan; Camrose and Wetaskiwin)
10:00 Greetings Chairperson: Brenda Schoepp
-introduction of delegates and special guests,
-introduction of returning officer (Randy & Merry Archibald): protocol and process of the day
10:10 District Returning Officer: Summary of Voting Procedure and Release of Results
10:15 Guest speaker: Dennis McGivern, Informa Economics Inc. (Sponsored by Computeraid Prof. Services)

“State of Competitiveness of the Canadian Cattle Industry”

11:00 Polls open
ABP Audio presentation
11:20 Reading of the financial statement (Travis Toews)
11:30 Delegate speeches (three minutes each - TIMED)
12:00 Lunch is served (Sponsored by Ross Agri-Supplies Inc.).

1:00 District Returning Officer:
Summary of Voting Procedure and Release of Results Program resumes
1:05 Call for resolutions (45 MINUTES)

1:50 Tony Saretsky

“Traceability”

2:15 Guest speaker: Mrs. Kirsty Piquette, Branch Head of the Bio-Industrial Development Branch

"Alberta's Nine-Point Bioenergy Strategy". Alberta Agriculture


2:45 Guest speaker: Dennis McGivern, Informa Economics

“Cull Cow Study and Next Steps”

3:15 Polls close
3:15 ABP: Brenda Schoepp Summary

“State of the Industry”
3:30 Close

This event funded by
ACAAF Speaker and Event Program

Alberta Beef Producers Zone 6

Appreciates the support of our Sponsors

Ross Agri-Supplies Inc. – Lunch
Drever Agencies Inc. Petro Canada
Camrose Drevers
Wetaskiwin Bulk Sales- Coffee and Donuts
Computer Aid Professional Services Inc.


ACAAF Speaker and Event Program

[coppertop]

I wonder how many producers are going to be able to devote an entire day to attend and listen to ABP rhetoric ! I imagine that the full day format is something that is being tried to see if there is enough interest to try it in other areas.

[grassfarmer]

When you actually look at it isn't a very long day - 5.5 hours with an hour of that for lunch. It won't be that much longer than an evening meeting that drags on. Of more concern to me is that despite this extra time less is being allocated for producer input through resolutions - only 45 minutes of the whole event. The exercise is supposed to be about ABP listening to grassroots producers ideas and complaints for one day of the year to give them the direction in their organisation. I don't think we need to be talked to or entertained for a day we need to be listened to.

[pandiana]

It is hard to know how many producers will find the time. All of us are under a great deal of pressure because of the weather. Many are like us trying to get cattle home from pasture without having to dig out of the mud.

On the other hand, producers in Zone 6 have traditionally been very engaged in communicating with the rest of industry. The topics covered by McGivern are a direct response to producer input. We believe that they are valuable contributions to the dialogue and ABP welcomes this discussion. They need to hear all points of view.

Zone 6 has taken the initiative for the full day meeting on its own trying to pay back to producers and provide an opportunity for feedback. If this venue is well supported, others may follow.

You may notice that voting and resolutions are in the middle of the day. For those who must forgo attending the entire meeting, ABP business can still be attended to in a couple of hours from 11:00 to 1:45 with polls closing at 3:15.

[coppertop]

It is gratifying that ABP has listened to producers in Zone 6 with respect to the meeting format. I agree with grassfarmer, the producer meetings should be the forum where issues, concerns etc. are brought to the attention of ABP delegates. I would like to see the following segment at every producer meeting starting next year of course, because its too late to implement it for this year:

A segment which would be basically a report card on resolutions passed in the same zone the previous year. EG: What becomes of resolutions that are passed at zone meetings, are they given adequate consideration by ABP, and by whom within the organization. ABP has the final say on whether or not resolutions go forward so they should also be prepared to justify their decision to the producers who presented and voted on the resolutions in the first place !

[pandiana]

Sounds like a resolution to me, coppertop

[coppertop]

Unfortunately if one were to put forward the idea in the form of a resolution, the ' powers that be' at ABP will decide whether or not it will go to the AGM, and I know from past experience any resolution that doesn't meet the approval of the ABP brass either doesn't get to the AGM or if it does, someone with a 'title' will encourage the defeat of the resolution. I have personally attended an AGM and seen that happen.

[pandiana]

Try it! It might work. It sounds like reasonable request to me.

[cowman]

I always wondered where the cutoff might be on producer participation? If the attendance falls below 5% do you think we should just scrap the idea of a "producer meeting"? I wonder if there has ever been 5% attendance?
Here is a novel idea? How about requiring a question to everyone selling calves at the local auction mart "Do you want to pay $3 for every animal to go to the ABP?" How would the ABP/CCA do then?
Many of us who just don't agree with anything the ABP/CCA does would probably really enjoy those dollars we are forced to pay these sleazy organizations! Why we just might take the old lady out for a steak dinner!

[grassfarmer]

Maybe you and some fellow producers should actually do something about it then Cowman instead of your usual coffee shop pontificating. I attended the Zone 6 meeting at Breton for a while today, attendance was appalling, about 15 non ABP delegates,organisers or speakers by my estimate. After viewing the annual video presentation of how well everything is going, the increase of beef exports, the cleverness of the ABP lobbying it's hard to believe we are talking about the same industry in the same country. Spurred by this success story some ABP groupies were bold enough to raise a resolution that levy be raised by another $1 to fund the ABP success steamroller. It was narrowly defeated.
rkaiser and myself managed to stir the pot a little and we did manage to pass resolutions
1. that a cow/calf council be formed within ABP to counter the power of the industry council and the feeder council.
2. That ABP immediately develop an aggressive policy to counter the power of the packer monopoly.
3. That ABP through all channels ASK CBEF, CCA etc that they ASK customers in other countries if they would buy Canadian beef if it was BSE tested.

A resolution to conduct a plebiscite of beef producers to see if they are happy with the ABP being the sole Government supported and levy funded beef producer group in the province requiring a 50% vote of confidence to retain their mandate was defeated.

My lasting impression of the meeting will be the rosy video depiction of the ABP and industry success story of the past year followed by one candidates election speech in which he laughingly told how his wife worked off farm to support his hobby and that he even worked in the oil patch to support his hobby. There we have it - the two sides, the pretence of success to go along with the big hats and monster trucks parked outside and the reality of producers being unable to make a living in beef production. This
reality is still not being dealt with by ABP but that is the fault of all the idle, lazy and disinterested producers that won't go out and fight for their industry.

[rkaiser]

My lasting impression came after you left grassfarmer. Tony S, the CCA rep for CFIA made a little speech and asked for questions at the end. He took the opportunity to slam BIG C by stating that he wouldn't answer any questions from any BIG C members as they only wanted to abolish the CCA and ABP and fire all the leadership. I tried to ask if he had read the rest of the letter from Cam, but was put in my seat by the chairwoman.

Funny how so called leaders like this show their defensive underbelly with smart assed public comments trying to run down any opposition.

The other CCA fellow caught me at the door and challenged the testing issue by saying that Cargill and Tyson have already almost filled the needs of Japan with age verified cattle let alone going the extra nine yards and testing them. My comment was that he may have answered his own question. Maybe the Japanese government has bent over to the Packer led USDA bully, but the Japanese consumer has not.

Thus time for the question that could end the argument once and for all.

Mr. Japanese consumer Sir, would you accept our beef if it were tested for BSE to your standards.

[grassfarmer]

Sorry to miss that exciting part rkaiser but had to get ready to deliver beef to Calgary tomorrow - what a jackass eh? can't quite keep their arrogant side hidden sometimes. Thanks by the way to Pandiana for organising the meeting, shame you were so poorly rewarded by producers attendence.

[rkaiser]

We passed one more resolution that grassfarmer forgot.

That ABP move forward to change the grading system for cull cows to reflect the carcass value.

And yes thank you to pandiana and the other ABP members who made the meeting worth while attending. Nice lunch!!!

[coppertop]

Sorry I was away, I had planned on attending but business travel forced a change in my day. Thanks to the organizers, plus thanks to grassfarmer and randy for ensuring that ABP was reminded they are supposed to represent producers. Too bad they didn't have the decency to allow your question randy, obviously an organization that picks and chooses who they answer to aren't really representing the best interest of the industry.

[farmers_son]

Interesting thread. It is my impression that attendance at the ABP meetings is down this year and, at least in some zones, producers did not even bother to put forward any resolutions.

I think it is important to note that ABP policy is no longer guided by resolutions that come forward at the fall meetings. The ABP structure has changed in the past years and the ABP board now has a number of directors who come from the Cattle Industry Council as well as Cattle Feeder directors. These two groups form their own policy internally and then bring it to the board. They do not intend to be bound by resolutions that come from the country, i.e. cow calf producers, even if those resolutions were to be passed at the Annual General Meeting or as most are, debated at the lower committee level.

The ABP has changed from a one producer one vote organization to a one checkoff dollar one vote organization. While I am heartened to see producers who still have enough spirit to attend the meetings and bring forward resolutions I think all producers need to be realistic about the influence those resolutions will have on ABP policy today. Ten years ago resolutions from the fall meetings did set the course of what was then the Alberta Cattle Commission. I think today even if a resolution was passed at a fall meeting and had enough support to be passed at the AGM, or worse in committee, that the resolutions would not form ABP policy if it did not have the support of the Cattle Feeders and Industry Council.

If Tony S. let Rkaiser know he was not going to listen to him, well Tony was just telling it like it is.