TOUGH WEEDS IN CANOLA? STRIKE BACK WITH A LITTLE ‘TUDE.

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Herbicide

Always read and follow label directions.

Fall Primary Tillage Spring Finish Work

Reduce the number of tillage tools in your operation with the Adjustable Gang VT. In the Fall, increase the gang angle for aggressive primary tillage operations that bury maximum residue. In the Spring, flatten the angle to minimize disturbance and run high speed preparing the perfect seedbed.

The Adjustable Gang VT is the versatile tillage tool that will deliver all year long. And when you purchase a product from Landoll, you know it is built with the rugged dependability that will improve your efficiency while preparing the ideal high yield environment.

Call us for more information or visit us online at www.Landoll.com

The levies paid by farmers on all the various commodities should not be refundable. There, I’ve said

While various tools and strategies are available to limit income taxes, payment isn’t optional or

What about your farmland taxes? You may not agree with how your municipal government spends your money, but you can’t request a refund and it will eventually come back to haunt you if you

I would argue that commodity organizations, be it canola, wheat, barley, pulse crops or beef cattle, accountable than municipal governments. And yet, with most commodity groups, the levy is

Increasingly, producers are asking for their money back. It isn’t usually because they disagree with the organization and how the money is being spent. Mostly, they just ask for their money back because they can. They get the same benefits of new varieties, agronomic research, market development and policy initiatives without any of the cost.

This freeloading can have a snowball effect. Refunds for many groups used to be five per cent of the total or less. That’s creeping up to 10 per cent in some cases. A producer can apply for and receive refunds without anyone knowing. There’s no stigma to being a freeloader.

In some cases, accountants are urging farmer clients to regularly submit refund requests. This extra money makes the accountant look like a hero. Levy refund requests become such a routine practice that requests are sent even when the producer hasn’t sold any of that particular commodity in the past year.

It would be interesting to know how many accountants promote this practice. It would also be interesting to know how many go to the trouble of claiming the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit for the levies paid by their farming clients. The tax credit is for eligible research paid by levies.

Too many farm organizations?

One of the common complaints is that there are too many farm organizations. Commodity organizations tend to be lumped in with all the other farm groups. There’s some validity to the argument and in recent years, a significant amount of amalgamation has occurred because it makes for more efficient administration.

The Manitoba Crop Alliance serves corn, flax, sunflowers, wheat and barley. In Alberta, wheat and barley are now united as one commission. Sask Wheat will soon absorb the administration of winter cereals in the province. Saskatchewan Flax is maintaining its own board of directors, but administration will be handled by SaskCanola.

Farmer lobbying power has shifted dramatically over the years. Increasingly, governments are listening to what the major commodity organizations like canola, wheat and pulse have to say. These organizations have the resources to research topics thoroughly and they aren’t as politicized as groups such as the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association or the National Farmers Union.

Notable exception

One of the first, if not the first crop commodity check-off was for pulse crops in Saskatchewan. When established, this levy was non-refundable and remains so to this day. All the groups that came after pulse had to prove producer support for a check-off and their levy had to be refundable.

The Saskatchewan Pulse Growers has one of the highest levies on a per acre basis and it also has great engagement with producers. All the growers of peas, lentils and the other pulse crops don’t always agree with the direction of the organization and there are frank discussions at the annual meeting and no doubt at board meetings.

The organization is stronger because the levy is non-refundable. Producers can voice their concerns, support director candidates of their choice or run for director positions themselves. What they can’t do is opt out and take their levies back.

Unlike the other commodity groups, there are no freeloaders.

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Pat Ottmann & Tim Ottmann

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Trevor Bacque

Design

Cole Ottmann

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Kevin Hursh

Tammy Jones

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Lisa Johnston

Sales

Scott Shiels

Tom Wolf

Pat Ottmann pat@farmingfortomorrow.ca 587-774-7619

Nancy Bielecki nancy@farmingfortomorrow.ca 587-774-7618

Chloe MacEachern chloe@farmingfortomorrow.ca 587-774-7622

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