.JPG)
The Grain Growers of Canada executive director Kyle Larkin has been on the road this week driving from Winnipeg to Calgary as part of the GGC's Summer Tour.
The tour kicked off on Monday, when he visited Doug Martin's farm at East Selkirk, Manitoba with MP Kevin Lamoureux.
"We discussed a number of issues, including the Capital Gains Tax increase, the carbon tax, potential rail strike. You know, there's a lot of issues out there right now impacting grain farmers and we're just here to raise awareness of them over the summer."
Larkin says the idea of bringing MPs out to the farm to talk with producers is to give them a better understanding of agriculture.
"You know, there certainly is a good number of MP's, (Members of Parliament) that have visited grain farms in the past, but I think the challenge is that we know the majority haven't. So to be able to show them first hand what a modern grain farm looks like and how it operates goes a long way. Look, I'm based in Ottawa advocating on behalf of grain farmers every day but when we can show them (MP's) tangibly what a combine looks like and how it works, or what a sprayer looks like or seeder, even grain silos or a grain dryer, even the crops themselves, it goes a long way. So when I meet with these folks back in Ottawa and I'm talking about these various terms that we use almost every day in grain farming. They can actually understand it, and have a tangible idea of exactly what we're talking about. So it goes a long way in our advocacy efforts in Ottawa."
He noted that during the visit to the Martin's farm, they heard that he had paid over $12,000 in carbon tax in the last year.
"That's a great example of the awareness we're trying to raise this week around a number of issues including the carbon tax. Having those tangible numbers and dollars spent by grain farmers every day goes a long way with Members of Parliament. The other example I can give is the MP we were touring with was surprised that a combine costs more than $1,000,000. He was surprised as to the number of assets that a grain farmer has across their operation. We use the saying all the time that farmers are asset rich, and cash poor and he really understood that by seeing first hand all the assets on the farm."
Larkin says hearing about the costs associated with farming from equipment, to fuel, to maintenance, seed, pesticides and fertilizer MP Lamoureux was really able to understand how it all works.
The Grain Growers of Canada Summer Tour also making stops to visit farms at Lenore, Manitoba, Weyburn and Assiniboia in Saskatchewan.
Leguee Farms at Fillmore was another stop on the tour, Jake Leguee says the concept of the tour is great, giving them an opportunity to show their local MP Dr Robert Kitchen their operation.
"We showed him a durum crop that we have right around our home section, and some of our machinery. Of course, he's a local politician, so he's familiar with agriculture, but it's still great to be able to show him some of the new technology that we have on our farms today and how that's going to impact how we look after our crops. Environmental sustainability, all of these things that Western Canadian farmers are so good at doing. It's really great to be able to showcase that in person on the farm."
Leguee says when it comes to key issues for farmers going forward he would priortize the ongoing need for continued or increased funding for varietal development and R & D (research and development).
"We already invest less than many of our competitor countries do. So that needs to be held to at a minimum where we are today, and ideally increased. You know, at the same time we're also concerned about environmental policy, especially with what we're seeing in Europe creating a lot of extra regulation, a lot of extra paperwork and now things that farmers just aren't allowed to do. We don't ever want to see that come to Western Canada or Canada at all."
Kyle Larkin is back on the road Thursday travelling to two more farms in Alberta, at Lethbridge and Carstairs.