APAS has been busy for the month of April, fertilizer prices high on the agenda
The following is a list of APAS activities over the course of April.
APAS released NPF recommendations: The APAS NPF Task Force’s final recommendations were recently approved by the APAS Board of Directors and have been sent to Federal Agriculture Minister Marie Bibeau and Sask. Agriculture Minister Doug Marit. APAS created the NPF Task Force in October 2021 to provide Saskatchewanfocused feedback into the federal and provincial governments’ consultation to determine what will be in their next 5-year framework agreement. Visit https://bit.ly/3jhO2B2 to read our NPF Task Force’s submission.
Farm groups exploring high fertilizer prices: APAS met with Kody Blois (Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food) to discuss a variety of issues, including high fertilizer prices. Since that meeting, APAS and other farm groups have been encouraging the government to look more closely at the factors influencing current prices, but also explore options to reduce prices in the future.
APAS Oil and Gas Subcommittee meeting on surface rights: The Ministry of Energy and Resources recently started a consultation on proposed amendments to two provincial Acts involving surface rights. The APAS Oil and Gas Subcommittee met on April 26 to discuss these proposed amendments, and also discussed other issues that should be fixed in future amendments. Details of the proposed amendments can be found on the government’s website at https://bit.ly/3OcWaRC and the deadline for written feedback is May 6, 2022 – APAS will be making a submission into this consultation.
Rural connectivity meeting between APAS and MLAs: On April 22, APAS met with provincial government MLAs to provide an update on the work of the APAS Rural Connectivity Task Force and highlight some of the recommendations from the Task Force’s final report that are directed towards the provincial government. APAS looks forward to more conversations with the province about how to keep improving connectivity in rural Saskatchewan. Over the past year, APAS has done a lot of advocacy to get the recommendations in the report implemented. A recently created a one-year update document can be found at https://bit. ly/3D2TuRa.
APAS Livestock Committee meeting: APAS staff and Directors have been getting a lot of calls about the snow situation in southeast Saskatchewan, as well as the lack of feed throughout the province. The APAS Livestock Committee is meeting soon to discuss both items. Those with feedback on either of these issues, please send your comments to policy@apas.ca.
YLMP applications starting soon: APAS will soon start accepting applications for our next Youth Leadership and Mentorship Program (YLMP). The YLMP helps young Saskatchewan producers (ages 18-40) become industry leaders by providing opportunities for learning, mentorship, and networking in the areas of agricultural policy and advocacy. APAS plans to start accepting applications soon, so watch for more details if you know of any young producers that would benefit from this positive experience.