Media Releases - Current
2010
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For All Media Inquiries Please Contact:
Greg Marshall, President
(306)789-7774 (Ext#1)
or
Don Connick, Vice President
(306) 672-8208 (cell)
or
Jeff Simpson, Vice President
(306) 270-8931 (cell)
or
Nial Kuyek, General Manager
(306) 789-7774 (Ext#2)
nkuyek@apas.ca
July 9
APAS Commends Governments on the announcement of the "Excess Moisture Program
The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan commends the federal and provincial governments for the quick response and action in assistance to producers who were unable to seed or have lost seeded crop due to flooding.“Saskatchewan producers who have been struggling with excess moisture conditions welcome this assistance,” said APAS President Greg Marshall. “Existing safety net programs were never designed to deal with a disaster of this magnitude and scope. This assistance is appreciated and should be viewed as a strategic investment in an industry that is very important to Canada both domestically and as a trade generator.”Marshall congratulated the Agriculture Ministers on the quickness of this announcement and in their recognition of the severity of the situation. “AgriRecovery was designed to provide a rapid financial response to assist with immediate recovery from a disaster situation and this announcement certainly meets that objective,” Marshall said. “This program will provide producers with meaningful assistance in a time effective manner. The program has been designed to be transparent and relatively simple to administer and those are good features.”“While the $30 per acre may not cover the cost of production and will not replace a profitable crop, this is a significant commitment from governments,” Marshall stated. “Cash-strapped farmers now know the assistance that they can count on from governments. This assistance and the timing of it will enable farmers to plan their farming and financial operations for the remainder of this crop year as well as 2011 and that is important.”While this announcement addresses the needs of grains and oilseed producers, APAS is concerned that forage and livestock producers appear to have been left out. Both forage and livestock production has been affected by the excess moisture conditions. APAS will be in further communication with both levels of government to seek additional measures to assist forage and livestock producers, Marshall concluded.