Too mild, too slow, too late
Take a look at a quote from Stats Canada about Manitoba’s farm population.“Manitoba’s farm population continued its steady decline in numbers, dropping by 8.1 per cent since 2001 to 62,930. In 1931, when the farm population count in Manitoba was compiled for the first time, 256,305 people were living on a farm—36.6 per cent of Manitoba’s population. By 2006, the farm population accounted for only 5.5 per cent of the province. In less than one lifetime, Manitoba has moved from one in three inhabitants living on a farm to one in 18. At the same time, Manitoba’s total population has grown from 700,139 in 1931 to 1,148,400 in 2006.”
By the same comparison, the percentage of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from rural Manitoba has declined. There was a time when the legislature actually hurried to get through their spring sitting days so the MLAs could go home to their farms to seed their crops. That’s not even a consideration today.
There was also a time when rural Manitoba’s interests and farming was looked after by the MLAs and by the government or they wouldn’t get re-elected. That’s not even a consideration today either.
In the last four decades or so of the 1900s, many farm organizations rose up to promote and protect the interests of farmers. Every commodity has its group such as potato growers, wheat growers and canola growers. There there’s the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, The Manitoba Pork Council and the umbrella organization, the Keystone Agricultural Producers.
All have had their struggles but have in some ways served their members well.
However, all have failed in that government no longer listens to farmers or to farm groups. They don’t actually listen to any rural groups, be they agricultural, First Nations or Inuit.
How have the farm groups failed?
Too mild
As the title at the top of this column suggests, farmers and farm groups have been too mild, too slow and now it’s too late. Too mild in that they have failed to get in the face of government when proposed legislation has been bad for farming. The recent hog moratorium was bad, bad legislation. Furthermore, the former premier, Gary Doer lied outright to the Manitoba Pork Council. Instead of exposing that lie and refusing to deal a with government it wasn’t more than two months later that “Grinning Gary” was on the legislature steps flipping pork on a bun with the head guys at the Pork Council. I’m not sure who organized that love-in event but it was bad tactics for the Pork Council to be so cozy with the enemy.
Too slow
Farm groups have let themselves get side tracked by government. When BSE hit the beef industry in May 2003, the farmers were angry and motivated. They wanted to set up a federally inspected slaughter plant to export Manitoba beef. There were some good ideas. One was to ask the government to allow MASC to finance shares in numerous smaller, existing and new slaughter facilities. Perhaps 15 or more small federally inspected plants could have been built or upgraded. But no, before long the government had into the driver’s seat. Not willing to let farmers and the existing butchers build their own solutions with a few $1-2 million plants, it had to be one big $8 million monster, then a $12 million giant and then over $20 million. By that time, the whole thing collapsed like a house of cards. Many small plants, federally inspected and locally sourced and operated might have worked. At least the risk would have been spread out. One huge plant was doomed to fail just like many in the past have failed. Too slow, way too slow.
Too late
For most of Manitoba’s farm commodities and dozens of farm communities, it’s too late. Sure, we’ll grow and export grain and oilseeds, but much potential has been lost. The hog industry is on a long, painful road and the only thing keeping it going is that companies like Hytek and Maple Leaf are highly integrated and have international markets. Hytek started, and is still today, a family owned cpmpany. The beef industry lacks any big players like Hyek and Maple Leaf and is is pretty much in the tank.
Unless Manitoba farm groups can get the ear of government, no farmer-friendly legislation will come from forward. In fact unless farm groups can get the ear of government, only resistance and multiple road blocks will continue to come from government.
Farmers no longer have any political clout in Mnaitoba. They have no cohesive gutsy leadership that can bend government or public sympathy their way. Not for subsidies, which are wrong, but just for good strong enabling legislation that will help environmentally friendly agriculture to feed us all while making a profit in a progressive manner. All the farm groups must get their act together.
They have to stop being slow and mild. No more burger flipping photo opps with government leaders who have been downright nasty to farmers. No more sitting down in plush government offices and hearing nicey, nicey words from ag ministers who neither know about, nor care about, agriculture.
No more soft approaches. Farmers have to stand up and be heard or they will simply keep on disappearing.
The reality is that without a farmer friendly government, we risk not being able to produce food any more. It doesn’t matter in the short term. The other provinces or the United States could feed all of Manitoba very easily. But, in the longer term, a secure food system is a national security issue. Just ask European countries or ask South Korea. They will tell you that national security and food production are intricately linked.
It’s time our farmers realized that and it’s time our governments realized it too.