Furious farmers

TRURO - Many beef farmers looking for answers about the future of their industry left a special meeting in Truro Friday feeling angry, disappointed and confused.
A quorum of more than 40 cattle producers from across the province called the meeting because of concerns over the future of their business and the content of a strategic plan the producer's board intends to implement.
However, an agenda prepared by the Nova Scotia Cattle Producers (NSCP) did not include an opportunity to address the content of the plan, causing an uproar among more than 120 farmers waiting to question its details.
"You're trying to shove it down our throats and you won't give us an opportunity to talk about it," yelled a farmer in the crowd.
Many shouted their desire to see Dave Oulton, NSCP chairman, step down from his post for insisting they follow the agenda, an action they felt robbed them of democratic process and did not follow agreed upon guidelines 'Robert's Rules.'
Bruce Robert, of Kelco Consulting Ltd., was a guest speaker at the meeting, and the first person to have the floor, which, also caused frustration among many farmers who said they are sick and tired of being given information and are in desperate need of action.
"My advice is to stop washing your dirty linen in public," said Robert, during his presentation, also suggesting they keep their arguments behind closed doors.
Curtis Moxsom, a Fort Ellis dairy, beef and livestock broker, said he came to the meeting to support the many people he does business with but felt it was conducted unprofessionally and was a complete waste of his time.
"I came today to discuss the strategic plan and to vote on it if necessary," he said. "The chairman of the Nova Scotia Cattle Producers, as far as I'm concerned, is totally out of line, disrespectful and this is not addressing the meeting as outlined."
The plan, Collaborate to Compete: the Nova Scotia Beef Industry Strategy, spans five years with a vision to build a sustainable and profitable beef industry. However, many farmers feel some of the content in the document is vague, incomplete and not beneficial to all industry members and they want it shelved until short-term financial aid is in place and guaranteed.
"The majority of the people here want to have a vote on this," said Moxsom. "They want to have consultations and they were denied that right."
Marilyn Carter of Fort Lawrence addressed the crowd and expressed her disappointment at the disorganization of the meeting process.
She said the strategic plan does not benefit every beef farmer and it will affect producers for the rest of their lives.
She feels Oulton's hard-line direction almost started a riot before the meeting began and feels many people went home feeling disillusioned.
The NSCP board members could vote to approve the strategic plan at its next meeting.
Not everyone felt the meeting was unproductive.
"I think it served a good purpose. It brought a lot of people to the floor to share some issues," said Jim Bremner of Falmouth.
Bremner was a member of the steering committee who worked on the plan, but feels it is important to recognize they made every effort to collect input from a variety of sources involved in the beef industry to compile the document.

smartell@trurodaily.com