September date sought for a vote on grain and oilseed organization amalgamation

Monday, July 28, 2008

by SUSAN MANN

The three organizations currently representing corn, wheat and soybean farmers have requested that the vote be held in September, says Brent Ross, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

“We’re doing our best to meet that but it’s not a guarantee.”

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission, which oversees provincial marketing boards, is putting together the voters’ list and packages. Ross says it isn’t known how many voters there are but the list will be “fairly substantial.” The commission will be conducting the vote.

“The goal all along was to bring it to a farmer vote and we’re working with Farm Products to achieve that,” notes Leo Guilbeault, chair of Ontario Soybean Growers.

All corn, soybean and wheat farmers who pay check-offs to those organizations will be eligible to vote. “We’re getting a final tally on those numbers because we want to make sure that list is as accurate as possible,” Guilbeault says.

Before the vote is held a series of seven to eight public meetings will be held across Ontario where farmers can ask questions they may have. No dates have been set for those meetings yet.

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

During county and annual meetings for all three organizations this winter and spring, farmers urged their elected representatives to get the plans for developing one organization and holding a producer vote back on track. The chairs of the three organizations signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding in April reaffirming their commitment to bring plans for the single organization to a vote. BF