Look for MOU vote this summer

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

by SUSAN MANN

The heads of the three producer groups signed an updated memorandum of understanding April 2 reaffirming their commitment to bring plans for a single organization to a producer vote.

No date for the vote has been set yet but “if the timelines go as planned we’re probably looking at a late summer vote,” says Ontario Soybean Growers chair Leo Guilbeault. “There’s an awful lot of work that has to get done yet.”

Part of that work includes developing a business plan and ensuring that all the information is accurate and precise so when growers get their information packages as part of the voting process “they’ll have all the information at hand that they’ll need to make a decision.”

Guilbeault says soybean growers want to ensure the strategic plans of the three organizations continue even if there’s one organization representing them. “It’s still dealing with three specific commodities. If you look at the markets for those three commodities a distinct strategic plan for each one would still have to go forward.”

In addition they want to ensure “the financials are good so that the organization starts on a solid foundation,” he adds, noting they also want to ensure there’s a proper business plan.

It’s good the plans to develop one grains group are continuing to be developed, Guilbeault says. “One way or another there’s going to be a producer vote and we’ll let the producers decide.”

Work on developing one organization began in 2004 when representatives from the three organizations signed an original agreement to come up with a proposal. The process was suspended last November after the Ontario Soybean Growers pulled out.

But during county and annual meetings for all three organizations this winter and spring producers urged their elected representatives to get the plans for developing one organization and holding a producer vote back on track.

“We were directed by farmers to get it back moving again,” says David Whaley, chair of the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board.

Farmers spoke loud and clear at the county annual meetings and told their directors they wanted to be able to vote, notes Dale Mountjoy, president of the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association.

“Corn producers always wanted to let farmers have a vote,” he says.

A working group made up of the chairs and general managers from the three organizations will be working with the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission to ensure all requirements needed for the vote are met. It’s the Commission that will be conducting the vote.

Mountjoy estimates the number of farmers eligible to vote to be 20,000. BF