Plebiscites for Alberta wheat and barley farmers coming in the fall of 2022

AND BARLEY

If you are a regular reader of The Grain Exchange, you should be wellinformed of the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions’ work on the amalgamation file. After consultations with our membership in 2021, Alberta wheat and barley farmers can expect plebiscites on the amalgamation of the two commissions in the fall of 2022, after harvest.

To recap, Alberta farmers were consulted on the topic through the summer and fall of 2021. Farmers gave the green light for the commissions to proceed with farmer plebiscites through formal motions brought forward at each commission’s annual general meeting (AGM) this past meeting season. Alberta Barley’s AGM was held in Banff, Alberta, at the Prairie Cereals Summit on December 8, 2021, and the Alberta Wheat Commission’s (AWC) was held on January 26, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta.

Further, the commissions received approval to conduct plebiscites with our farmer members from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, Honourable Nate Horner, along with the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing

Council (Marketing Council).

Alberta wheat and barley farmers can anticipate more information over the coming weeks on the amalgamation plebiscites. Farmers are also encouraged to subscribe to our Latest News emailing list at albertawheatbarley.com for continual updates on the amalgamation process and voting procedures.

What farmers need to know

• Since the two commissions are established via separate Plan Regulations under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act and are separate legal entities, two plebiscites are required: one for Alberta Barley’s membership and one for AWC’s membership.

The commissions are working closely with Marketing Council and a thirdparty vendor on the delivery and execution of the plebiscites.

All farmers that have sold wheat or barley in the past two calendar years, are eligible to vote, including farmers who’ve requested a refund.

Many farmers will be entitled to vote in both plebiscites.

Farmers can expect plebiscite information to come to their mailbox this fall, although voting in the plebiscites will be conducted online.

Visit albertawheatbarley.com to stay connected on the amalgamation farmer plebiscites.