Published by the National Farmers Union www.nfu.ca Winter 2020 / Volume 25 Issue 4 Bucking the Trend! NFU Youth buck the aging trend in Canadian farming - and have fun doing it at the National Convention and all year. Strong Communities. Sound Policies. Sustainable Farms. Des communautés solidaires et des politiques sensées pour une agriculture durable. Winter 2020 Volume 25 / Issue 4 — by Glenn Norman, NFU Vice President of Policy (on behalf of the Editorial Advisory Committee) would like to take this export operation which we grew chemicals and higher yielding I opportunity to introduce myself and expanded until the dissolution seed with diminished profit per and tell you a little bit about me. of the partnership in 2009. acre. Along with this came ever I have been an Alberta NFU increasing stress. I learned some interesting member since 2013 and a lessons in those years of farming, In 2009 the partnership ended member of the National Board one being that there is a constant with the untimely death of my and/or the Executive for the last financial squeeze placed on you brother. After estate settlement, five years. by the use of ever higher inputs in I began to rethink how to create a I grew up on my family's mixed order to maintain viability in this more viable farm. The CWB was farm east of the town of Bowden in high input world with no or very gone and the grain companies south central Alberta where my little control over your per unit were doing to the smaller grain parents raised six kids putting four returns. In the late ‘90’s, we farms what the meat processors of them through post‐secondary closed our 1000 head feedlot did to the small feedlots. It was education and making a reasonable because of the loss of competi‐ clear to me that I needed to living while doing it. I left at 17 to tion due to the processor’s use of escape this corporate game and seek my fame and fortune, coming large captive feedlots to focus on farmgate profits. I now back 15 years later to farm with my manipulate fat cattle prices. raise beef and bees, and grow hay partners, my father and brother. It that I direct market. I use With the loss of the feedlot, was a very different farm than the minimal off farm inputs, keep my land previously used to grow feed one I left, gone were the dairy and profits and have far less stress. became available to grow cash beef cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, Seems I should have paid a lot crops but without the natural ducks, horses, and the hay and more attention to how my father fertilizer provided by the grain grown mostly to feed them livestock. So began the race for farmed when I was young. ▪ with a little extra to sell. It had greater use of commercial become a much higher input fertilizer, bigger equipment, more cow/calf, feedlot and grain for Coming soon to the NFU website and social media! Three beautiful and inspiring videos featuring NFU members past and present. Created by Dean Harder and shown for the first time at our 50th National Convention in Winnipeg. Look for them at nfu.ca and on Facebook. The Union Farmer Quarterly is an official publication of the National Farmers Union Agreement No.40063391 National Office Mailing Address: 2717 Wentz Avenue, Saskatoon, SK S7K 4B6 Telephone: 306-652-9465 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nfu.ca Page 2 www.nfu.ca Volume 25 / Issue 4 Winter 2020 A Message from Katie Ward, NFU National President was a very thoughtful, farms. It is no easy task, but the “Absolutely. Because it was the NFU has always been an right thing to do.” To me, that organization with a progressive sums up the sense of integrity and viewpoint and we are not afraid ethics that first drew me to the to ask the hard questions. tend to think about winter in NFU. It is what I am proud to see We have more resources now two phases, although they are is still driving our members today I to engage in this Climate not really linear. As challenging as as we look to the future. But I Leadership campaign, as we the bone chilling cold of this would be remiss if I moved on welcome our new Executive season can be, there is something from reminiscing about our 50th Director, Mara Shaw, and begin about the shorter days that makes Anniversary Convention without our engagement campaign across winter feel like the perfect time saying thank you to everyone who the country in coalition with like‐ for pausing to take stock of the worked to plan and pull off the minded and supportive allies. This past year. Using that information event, and to all of the speakers year’s NFU Days membership in the period of rest and attendees who made it such a outreach will involve raising (hibernation?) that nature imposes joyous occasion. The spirit and awareness of a series of events on us, phase two involves getting enthusiasm for this community we will be holding in Region 8, yourself centred and gathering we have built for ourselves really Region 7 and Region 1 in late your resources to be ready and shone through. I am very grateful February and early March. Please renewed for the growing season for the sense of renewal and call the office in Saskatoon at 306‐ to come. solidarity it gave me. 652‐9465 or email [email protected] if We certainly had a grand We are going to need that you are interested in participating occasion to take stock of where enthusiasm and energy soon, in this targeted outreach. we have come from as the because we are engaging in A number of other hot topics National Farmers Union at our another tough fight for the future th in agriculture were debated at recent 50 Anniversary Conven‐ of our farms. At Convention we Convention and resolutions tion! It feels a bit strange to talk launched the NFU’s newest directing the NFU to continue our about a celebration as an report, Tackling the Farm Crisis work on seed sovereignty and the opportunity to take stock, the and the Climate Crisis, written by financial issues facing farm two ideas seem a bit at odds, but Darrin Qualman. We got a very families were passed. Many it really was both. We had great positive reaction from the members raised the issue of opportunities to hear stories members in attendance as well as access to local abattoirs, and the about why we needed a National from members of the media both scope and national scale of this Farmers Union in the first place, at Convention and in the problem is becoming urgent. We and the battles that were fought following month. This report is have a lot of work ahead of us this which paved the way for us to still going to form the basis of a year, but I have every confidence be here today, on the front lines campaign to engage farmers that we are going to carry forward of the farm movement. One of across the country, to transform the values and principles of the our speakers was asked, in light of Canadian agriculture into a low ‐ National Farmers Union, and have how we lost some of those emissions, low input system ‐ a lot of fun, too! battles, would they do it again which will bring power and knowing the outcome. The reply financial stability back to our —In Solidarity, Katie Ward www.nfu.ca Page 3 Winter 2020 Volume 25 / Issue 4 A Message from Coral Sproule, NFU National Women's President face. A special thank you to those sovereignty for all communities. I who were able to pull together a also snagged a copy of Darrin resolution that passed on seeking Qualman's Civilization Critical, better systems, supports and Energy, Food, Nature and The coverage for mental health and Future (Fernwood Publishing, reetings! This is my first wellness. 2019) which is an important book report since the National for our movement. In the G One thing we recognized in Farmers Union 50th Annual women’s caucus meeting we had the women’s caucus meeting was Convention convened in some great enthusiasm over the that we never have enough time Winnipeg, Manitoba the desire to have a virtual book club ‐ during our brief time at location of our first convention as of sorts, which could possibly convention to more deeply a union in 1969. Despite the serve as a tool for discussion and connect and explore how we can current feelings of hopelessness for in person gatherings as well. truly support one another ‐ experienced by many here, by our Stay tuned for future reports on throughout our seasons. There comrades in La Via Campesina the books we read! arose a distinct desire to have across the globe, and the news more dedicated time to meet as a I wanted to take this each day of yet another caucus to focus in on and develop opportunity to briefly introduce catastrophic event related to these strategies together. We will our new Women’s Vice President, climate change, I still found a be working to try to encourage Bess Legault. Bess is a farmer and feeling hope, unity, and more informal regional and local community organizer from Fort inspiration among our members gatherings of this sort throughout St. John, British Columbia and at convention as they face our the year.