Preliminary results show farmers in Alberta have voted in favour of the Alberta Barley Commission (ABC) and the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) to amalgamate, a Nov. 2 news release said.
Barley farmers were 89 per cent in favour of the merger, while wheat farmers were at 88 per cent. There were 1,569 votes were cast over the month of October in both plebiscites — 606 from barley voters and 963 from wheat voters. The release noted both plebiscites saw a 6.1 per cent of eligible voters participated.
The amalgamation vote was held over the month of October by the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council in collaboration with third-party election advisor MNP and the two commissions. Two plebiscite votes for wheat and barley farmers were conducted with voting happening online or by telephone.
“A clear direction was provided by both wheat and barley farmers on the preferred path forward for the organizations,” Tara Sawyer, chair for ABC, said in the release. “We look forward to informing our farmers on the next steps in the process at our winter meetings.”
The plebiscite results are preliminary for 15 business days until the time to contest the results has expired, the release said. Barley and wheat farmers will receive an update on the next steps in the process to form a single crop commission at the six regional meetings held throughout the province this November and at each commission’s annual general meeting, held in December for ABC and late January for AWC.
“This process has been five years in the making, complete with striking of a sub-committee comprised of both wheat and barley farmers, formal consultations with farmer stakeholders and culminating with two plebiscites,” Greg Sears, AWC chair, said in the release. “Both commissions have done their due diligence to ensure this is the right direction for our members and are eager to engage farmers on the path forward.”
