Cochin producer George Ferguson, left, Cut Knife producer Ed Pedersen, centre, and agriculture and environment critic Yens Pedersen, NDP MLA (Regina Northeast), share ideas following Pedersen’s round-table meeting at the Don Ross Centre on Friday. : Angela Brown

By Angela Brown

Farmers give feedback

Area farmers discuss stress, reducing carbon footprint during round table

Mar 2, 2019 | 2:23 PM

Farm stress, reducing the carbon footprint, and seed royalties were among issues raised during a round-table talk Friday.

Area farmers had a chance to sound off to provincial agriculture and environment critic Yens Pedersen during the discussion.

The NDP MLA for Regina-Northeast has been touring the province meeting with communities to gather feedback on their needs as he prepares to go into the Spring sitting of the legislature Monday.

Pedersen said the issue of mental health and farm stress is top of mind for many, adding rural residents find it difficult to access psychologists and counsellors for support.

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“You’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars up front and hoping and praying you’re going to get enough of a crop and are going to get paid enough for it to pay all your bills,” he said.

Another topics raised concerned how producers use their seed.

Pedersen said currently, they can grow a crop and save some of it as seed to reuse. However, the seed industry is proposing farmers pay a royalty every year they save seed and reuse it.

“We’re suggesting that the provincial government should be standing up for Saskatchewan farmers and telling the federal government that this is not a good idea,” Pedersen said.

Renewable energy and climate change are another topics top of mind.

Cochin area farmer George Ferguson said he is installing a solar panel in an effort to reduce his energy bill, and encouraged others to do the same.

“The price of this stuff is coming down,” he said. “I would say it will be a very good investment in 10 years.”

Pedersen said reducing the carbon footprint remains a priority.

He said the NDP is proposing a plan to make it easier for people such as farmers and co-operatives to invest in renewable energy and adopt renewable energy methods.

“We call it Renew Sask.,” said Pedersen. “It would be a plan you can access money through the provincial government so you can do an installation of renewable power. And both reduce your carbon footprint but also save yourself some money in the long run by generating your own power or reducing the amount of power you use.”

Reached by battlefordsNOW Friday, Battlefords MLA Herb Cox offered his input on the issue of renewable energy and said the province already has plans in place.

He said the Saskatchewan government has plans to reduce the province’s methane gas emissions. The province has a goal to reduce methane emissions by 4.5 million tonnes annually by 2025.

“We have the new methane gas (action) plan where we are starting to allow oil and gas producers to capture the methane gas burning and create power,” Cox said. “In fact Sask Power will buy that power back on the grid or they can supply it to other well sites or needs. That’s one of the biggest changes we made so far.”

Cox said there are other financial incentives available to consumers to help people who want to save energy.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow