Grain and oilseed amalgamation back on track

Thursday, December 20, 2007

by MARY BAXTER

LONDON – Dec. 20 The Ontario Soybean Growers will return to the table to continue merger discussions with two other provincial grains and oilseeds groups.

On Wednesday, the organization’s board voted unanimously to resume negotiations with the Ontario Corn Producers Association (OCPA) and the Ontario Wheat Growers’ Marketing Board (OWGMB) about the issue. In November, the Soybean Growers’ board made the decision to pull away from the negotiations, begun three-and-a-half years ago.

At its annual committeemen’s meeting held here on Wednesday, a new strategy for the province’s soybean industry was unveiled. Details of this vision were also shared at the recent Ontario Seed Growers’ Association Dec. 11 annual meeting.

“It showed value in what we did [pulling out of the merger talks],” said the board’s chair, Leo Guilbeault.

He explained that the approach to marketing outlined in the proposed merger wasn’t “up to snuff” to accommodate this vision.

The board fielded about six resolutions from different districts calling for the board to return to negotiations during the committeemen’s meeting, Guilbeault said. Of the 93 representatives who voted on one of the resolutions, 79 per cent gave it their support.

As for next steps, the board’s executive will talk to corn and wheat executives Friday morning to set up meetings in early January. Depending on the outcome, the three groups may still be able to meet the deadlines for obtaining a producer vote that had been in place before the OSG opted broke off negotiations, Guilbeault said. Most of those attending the committeemen’s meeting have said that if it takes longer it won’t matter because it’s best to get the agreement right, he added.

Contacted this morning, both Dale Mountjoy, OCPA president, and Al Kerkhof, OWPMB chair, said it was too early to comment.

Mountjoy said he was “cautiously optimistic” and that a board call was likely going to be in the works.

Huron County farmer Bev Hill, who had objected to the OSG board’s decision to pull out of the talks, said he was pleased by their subsequent decision to resume talks.

“It was a really good meeting,” he said of the growers’ annual committeemen’s meeting, noting that those both for and against continuing merger talks expressed their points of view.

“Our district’s pretty happy; I’m pretty happy about it,” Hill said. “It’s confirmation that the process (of having committeemen) works.” BF