| |
Alfalfa Seed Commission Registered in Alberta | |
| |
From the Sept 30, 2009 Issue of Agri-News | |
|
| |
|
|
| | The newest producer organization to be formed in Alberta under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act is the Alfalfa Seed Commission. The producer board has worked to establish the commission which will provide information, research and communication for the 80 plus growers of alfalfa seed in the province. The commission will be funded by a 1.25 per cent sales check-off which will be collected by seed companies at the time of sale. The Irrigated Alfalfa Seed Producers Association initiated the process, but the new commission includes non-irrigated growers outside of the Peace River region. Alfalfa seed produced in the Peace River region falls under the Peace Forage Seed Commission.
.
Karl Slomp, president of the Alfalfa Seed Commission, says, "We see tremendous opportunity in the future of the industry. The commission looks forward to working with other research groups, the government, and individuals in the industry to benefit all producers of alfalfa seed."
The commission already has a research project in progress. Plots with herbicides and fungicides recently registered or having potential for registration have been established in two locations. The commission has partnered with the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund and the Crop Diversification Centre South to conduct these trials. The commission will continue a close relationship with the Prairie Pesticide Minor Use Consortium. Data from these trials is expected to be used to register Quadris as a fungicide on alfalfa seed. In addition, there is a Production and Marketing Manual available for sale as reference material for new and experienced producers. Suggestions for future research are welcome.
Michelle Gietz has been hired as the general manager and will be working on a part-time basis in Brooks. Gietz graduated from the University of Guelph with a B. Sc. Agri. and has a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Manitoba. She brings to the commission a wide variety of experience in both private and public institutions, including Alberta Agriculture and Sparks Companies Inc (now Informa Economics). She was the first manager of the Southern Applied Research Association from 1995 to 1997 and has recently returned from the U.S. where she was an instructor of economics at Southwest Tennessee Community College.
A general meeting for the commission will be held at the Heritage Inn in Brooks on November 24, 2009. All producers and industry representatives are welcome to attend. There is no registration fee to attend.
Questions regarding the commission and the meetings can be directed to Gietz at 403-501-3820 or e-mail at manager@alfalfaseedab.com
Contact:
Michelle Gietz
403-501-3820 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
For more information about the content of this document, contact Lee Anne Bateman.
This document is maintained by Rita Splawinski.
This information published to the web on September 30, 2009.
|
|