New beginnings for Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

Many new beginnings are on the horizon for a well-known agriculture and rural development organization - starting with a new name.

The Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan (ACS) is the new title of the former Saskatchewan Council for Community Development, or SCCD.

"During our comprehensive strategic planning process this past February, the board felt that we have evolved into an organization with more of an agricultural focus, and they thought that a name change was very critical in terms of being looked at as an agricultural organization," said ACS Executive Director Laurie Dmytryshyn.

"Our new name, therefore, reflects the primary activities of our organization and our membership base."

The majority of ACS members are provincial agricultural, agri-food and community development organizations.

"Membership is constantly growing. We currently have 39 members, a number that has doubled over the past year," Dmytryshyn said. In order to become a member, an interested party must be a provincial organization in the agriculture, agri-food or community development sectors.

During its strategic planning process, the board also developed a new vision and mission for the organization, along with some strategies to guide ACS into the future.

"The ACS vision and mission is to provide leadership and programming to advance the agriculture and agri-food sectors, contributing to a healthy Saskatchewan community," Dmytryshyn stated.

ACS will expand the programming it already delivers to advance Saskatchewan's agriculture and agri-food industry. Through programs like the federally funded Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program, ACS has been able to fund projects that will advance the industry within Saskatchewan, providing many new and innovative opportunities in both domestic and global markets for the province's primary and value-added products. The next application deadline for ACAAFS funding requests of more than $10,000 is November 16, 2007.

The Biofuels Opportunities for Producers Initiative (BOPI) is another federally funded program that has been very successful. Eleven projects from across Saskatchewan have received funding to develop business plans and feasibility studies for ethanol and biodiesel production facilities with significant producer involvement. To date, ACS has committed over $11.57 million in funding to 170 projects through BOPI and the ACAAFS program.

ACS is also continuing to deliver two well-received initiatives, the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Value Chain Initiative and the Centre for Agribusiness Training and Education (CATE). The Value Chain Initiative will continue with workshops across Saskatchewan this fall, showing producers, processors and marketers how they can forge alliances that will allow them to benefit from each other and to better respond to market demands. The CATE program will continue to provide a link to educational institutions, workshops and courses for those seeking education and training opportunities in the agriculture and agri-business fields. The CATE website can be accessed at www.agtraining.ca.

ACS has also recently elected a new chair, Murray Purcell, who represents the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) at ACS.

"Murray brings his extensive producer expertise to the organization, and we're confident his leadership skills will provide us with the momentum we need to build a strong, proactive and effective industry council in Saskatchewan," Dmytryshyn said.

Purcell takes over from Garth Patterson of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, who decided to step down from the chair position. "As chair, Garth's input, leadership and guidance were invaluable during this past transition year. We are pleased that he will be staying on as a director for ACS," Dmytryshyn added.

For more information, contact:
Laurie Dmytryshyn, Executive Director
Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 975-6849