Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced the establishment of both the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission. As a result, Saskatchewan producers will be able to direct check-off dollars into research, market development and promotion initiatives for their sectors.
"Now that Saskatchewan farmers enjoy marketing freedom, they have more control over their individual operations," Stewart said. "Furthermore, with the establishment of these commissions, the elected boards will see wheat and barley producers have greater control over the future of their industry."
The commissions have been established after an extensive consultation process with producers. Steering committees, made up of agriculture leaders from Saskatchewan industry groups, led the consultation process. It is anticipated the commissions will be fully operational and collecting check-offs by August 1. The check-offs will be set at $0.52 per tonne for wheat and $0.50 per tonne for barley. This will generate revenue of approximately $4.3 million for wheat and $1 million for barley. Both commissions will be served by interim boards and elections for permanent boards will occur by December 2013.
Check-off dollars administered by the commissions will go toward research initiatives that improve wheat and barley varieties, grow their marketability and generally provide higher value to wheat and barley producers in the long term.
"Saskatchewan is a leader in agriculture innovation," Wheat Development Commission interim Chairperson Cherilyn Nagel said. "This new commission will allow Saskatchewan wheat farmers to have a say in the future of their crop."
"It's really about the openness of our farmers to new tools and practices," Barley Development Commission interim Chairperson Bill Cooper said. "Saskatchewan barley farmers want to be on the cutting edge and now they can have a say in how we will grow our sector."
These commissions will assist in achieving the goals set out in the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth, including increasing crop production by 10 million tonnes, increasing agriculture exports by $5 billion, establishing Saskatchewan as a world leader in biosciences and increasing value-added opportunities.
