Industry News

Virtual AGM Takes Care of SSGA Business

The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) held its 107th Annual General Meeting virtually on October 14, 2020. The membership elected two new directors-at-large to their board, and passed three policy resolutions.

After the AGM the board named the new SSGA executive. The incoming president is Kelcy Elford of Caronport. Elford had been 1st Vice President prior to the AGM.

Garner Deobald will be the new 1st Vice President, Jeff Yorga 2nd Vice President, and Kimberly Simpson will be the Finance Chair.

Outgoing president Bill Huber will sit on the board as Past President.

“This organization has a proud, rich history, and I’m honoured to be elected as its president,” Elford said. “It’s a humbling experience to be elected into this position with so many qualified and influential producers.” He thanked the previous executive and the outgoing directors for their work to advance the ranching and livestock industry.

The SSGA board had wanted to hold an inperson meeting and convention, and held on as long as they could before finally deciding in September the meeting would have to go virtual.

“We can always deal with elections and resolutions and conduct the Association’s business online,” said former president Bill Huber. “But a virtual meeting is no replacement for getting together and hashing out the issues. A lot gets done on an informal level inside and outside the convention hall. We’re really hoping we can get together again for next year’s meeting in Assiniboia.”

At the virtual AGM, members passed a resolution calling on the federal government to reconsider banning strychnine for controlling Richardson’s ground squirrel populations. At present, there is no adequate alternative for controlling the overpopulation of the rodents on agricultural lands.

The membership also adopted a resolution to oppose the use of the term “meat” to describe plant-based food products. The SSGA will work with other meat producers’ organizations to forward this position to appropriate authorities.

A third resolution concerned the use of traps and snares near farms and ranches. Currently, trappers may place their traps 500 metres from a home, stockade or corral without the owner’s permission. This has resulted in producers’ guardian dogs being accidentally killed.

The resolution calls on the Ministry of Environment to require trappers to receive written permission from the landowner or livestock owner for traps or snares placed within 1,500 metres of a dwelling or livestock herd.

Elford says going forward with the newly formed Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation, the charitable arm of the organization, will be a priority for the coming year. “It’s an exciting time for us, with the foundation having been announced last January. We’d like to get that off the ground,” he said.

He said continuing to expand environmental initiatives and maintaining a good relationship with policy makers are also important for the new board. “I’m looking forward to serving the membership and working with government,” he said.

Like Huber, Elford is looking forward to meeting in Assiniboia next year. “We have 107 years of history as an organization, and our members have family relationships that go back for generations,” he said. “The only time some of them get to see each other is at events like the SSGA convention, It’s important for our culture as an association and as an industry.”B

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