Pasture patrons in the area are forming groups and seeking support from their RMs in an effort to lease PFRA lands from the province, but it appears the Government of Saskatchewan is only interested in selling the land.

Dean Palmer, chairman of the McCraney Pasture Committee patron group, said leasing the McCraney pasture through the RM of McCraney would be the best way for the patrons who use the pasture for grazing cattle to retain it. He said it would not be economical for the 25 patrons who use the pasture to buy it.

“The provincial government is working with Farm Credit to try and come up with some kind of a reasonable financing method to buy these pastures, but I really think, as far as buying it, all that does is create a lot of problems,” said Palmer. “If they start selling it quarter-by-quarter, the fence lines are not on the quarter lines…and with the Arm River valley going through it, it’s tough to divide quarter-by-quarter sections up.

“If we’re interested in buying it, it’s going to take a lot of money or some corporate sponsorship. For young producers, like myself, and a lot of the older producers, if they have to come up with however much money, they’ll just sell their cows and get out. I think that is probably the most realistic way, because I don’t think buying it is a real economic option just to graze cows in. There would have to be some alternative economic strength to help reinforce buying it.”

Palmer said the pasture would essentially be a RM of McCraney pasture instead of just a local pasture if the province accepts their lease proposal. Palmer said the group has already submitted the application to the province, but has not received a final decision back from them as of yet.

Lyle Stewart, Minister of Agriculture for the Government of Saskatchewan, said the first five pastures up for sale in the province will be announced sometime this fall and the government is taking bids for them right now. He said the federal government will continue to manage all of the pastures through the 2013 season, but “deals can be done anytime” and the government wants to have a number of them sold by the end of the next season.

“The patrons will have the first opportunity to own and operate these pastures and we’ve had, in this office, lots of calls and visits from people and individuals and corporations that would just buy them all or individual ones and we’ve turned them all down and just told them that the patrons have the first opportunity with these lands, so there is no competition at this point if the patrons are interested,” said Stewart about whether patron groups are competing with multi-nationals, out-of-province groups or corporations at this moment for the lands.

To read more please see the Sept. 10 print edition of The Davidson Leader.