FEDERAL AGRICULTURE MINISTER TO ATTEND BREITKREUZ’S AG FORUM
“This is not only a chance for farmers to hear from some of the ag industry’s decision-makers, but it is also a great opportunity to send a message to those decision-makers.”

YORKTON – Garry Breitkreuz’s annual Agriculture Forum will be on Friday, March 23, 2007, in Yorkton. Registration for the event begins at 9:30 a.m.

The all-day forum will be held at St. Gerard’s Parish Complex and will provide information on a number of agricultural issues, giving producers an idea as to where the agriculture industry may be heading in future. Among the scheduled presenters is the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister Responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board.

“Minister Strahl also attended my Agriculture Forum last year, and I know he learned a lot from the farmers who talked to him,” said Breitkreuz. “Direct contact with producers provides parliamentarians, like Minister Strahl, the best means for making day-to-day decisions affecting the agriculture industry.”

Strahl was named federal Minister of Agriculture by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in February 2006. On the day he was appointed, Minister Strahl immediately set to work announcing that producers would begin receiving initial payments under the $755 million Grains and Oilseeds Payment Program (GOPP). Since then, the Conservative government’s commitment to farming has remained constant. The most recent funding announcement affecting the agriculture industry came Friday, March 2, 2007, when Strahl announced an investment of $22.1 million for 233 research projects across Canada. Among those projects to be funded are research initiatives into bio-diesel use in agricultural equipment.

“In addition to Minister Strahl, we will have a number of other representatives from the agriculture industry speaking on issues such as the Own Use Import program (OUIs) and Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS),” said Breitkreuz.

The entire forum will be broadcast nationally on CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel, and will provide information to all Canadians on agricultural issues. This will allow our urban cousins to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by today’s farmers and the complexities of issues surrounding the agriculture industry.

“I would like to encourage farmers throughout the area to attend the forum,” said Breitkreuz. “This is not only a chance for farmers to hear from some of the ag industry’s decision-makers, but it is also a great opportunity to send a message to those decision-makers.”

The Agriculture Forum will be held Friday, March 23, 2007, at St. Gerard’s Parish Complex in Yorkton. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is $10 per person. A noon lunch will be provided to all who register. For more information, contact 1-800-667-6606 or 306-782-3309.

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