14 - PRAIRIE POST - Friday, March 20, 2009
Beet growers have new agreement in place
BY RIC SWIHART clauses give growers hope they will pay out.
ALBERTA Boras said like any negotiation, there was compromise
Southern Alberta’s sugar beet growers have a new
on both sides. “Both parties must feel the contract is a
three-year production agreement with Lantic Sugar.
win-win.”
Rob Boras of Picture Butte, new president of the
A master agreement for the three years calls for a
Alberta Sugar Beet Growers Marketing Board, said
minimum of 30,000 acres of sugar beets each year. That
the deal was reached this week with company senior
is 7,000 acres below the base quota, but 12,000 acres
officials Dan LaFrance, chief financial officer of Lantic
more than last year when some growers opted out of
Sugar and Doug Emek, general manager for Lantic Sugar
sugar beets while protecting their quota to take
in Vancouver and Taber.
advantage of record high prices for some alternate
Sugar beets were produced in 2008 with a one-year
commodities.
contract, something the marketing board wanted to
Boras feels a three-year contract and the negotiated
avoid.
contents should be enough to attract growers back to
The contract brings growers a slight beet price
the sugar beet industry in numbers needed for the
increase each of the three production years, but also
company to meet market demand.
contract clauses based on world sugar market prices
An annual production intention form will be sent to all
that may produce additional revenues for both growers
growers soon. That is when the marketing board will
and the company.
know reasonably confidently how many acres will be
Those up-side clauses were important to growers in
planted.
File Photo
the face of wildly fluctuating input costs, he said. The
If the intention is less than 30,000 acres, the board will
try to encourage more planting. If the intention exceeds
Southern Alberta’s sugar beet growers have a new
three-year production agreement with Lantic Sugar.
30,000 acres, it may have to implement an acreage cut.
Boras said the acreage was set to help Lantic Sugar
beet variety trials. The new varieties were approved by
meet its annual production goal of 90,000 to 100,000
a committee of four farmers and four company officials.
tonnes of sugar, based on an average crop. Last year,
All had to exhibit traits and productivity superior to
with 18,000 acres, sugar production was 56,000 tonnes.
existing varieties.
Andrew Llewelyn-Jones of Taber, Lantic Sugar
Llewelyn-Jones said all agronomic information is
agricultural superintendent and a member of the
available to growers who choose which variety they will
contract negotiating team, said the three-year contract
plant.
will add stability to both growers and the company. It
The seed will be ordered, processed and packaged
will be able to continue to invest in the industry.
within two or three weeks.
Three new sugar beet varieties have been approved
The contract form, based on the master agreement, for
for 2009 planting. They were part of the annual sugar
2009 is at the printer. The company will begin contract
signing the first week of April. The contract will be
MUSTARD
updated each of the next two years for the annual
signing.
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