Heartfelt emotion coming through in ag land meetings

He says he's surprised by what he isn't hearing at public meetings across Nova Scotia, but the chairman of the province's Agricultural Land Review Committee (ALRC) is also impressed with what he is hearing and seeing.
The ALRC is conducting a series of public meetings on the short- and long-term future of existing agricultural land in Nova Scotia… The consultations focus on the preservation of prime agricultural land, how much land is needed to sustain the population of Nova Scotia, whether land uses incompatible with agriculture, such as private homes, hospitals, daycares and so on, should be restricted from agricultural areas; and what role society needs to play in the future of agricultural land. According to the 2006 census, there are approximately 181,915 hectares of active farmland in the province.
ALRC chairman Richard Williams of Salt Springs, Pictou County, says one thing that has really struck him to date is people have been very respectful, even if they don't share the same opinions.
Williams, now semi-retired, ran a large beef operation for 20 years, part-time for five years while he worked as an administrator of agricultural research funding with Agri-Futures. There is a "degree of heartfelt emotion" in the presentations he's hearing and, although you couldn't describe it as enjoyable hearing farmers express distress, the experience of chairing the committee is not one he'd pass up.
Turnout to the consultations so far, with the lowest in the range of 37 to 45 people and the highest in the range of 95 to 100, has also been encouraging.
"Of the three ways land disappears from the sector (development, abandonment and the depletion of production capacity), the bulk of the commentary involves abandonment," Williams says. "The factor there is economics."
He hears comments like 'if farmers were making a decent living, we wouldn't have to worry so much about development and they wouldn't be depleting the land."
Williams says returns are "inadequate to support a reasonable business model" with most farm commodities.
Although not so much an issue in rural areas, "big box" developers sometimes wave carrots under the noses of farmers in more urbanized communities. People from more urbanized communities, although they haven't formed the majority at the meetings, seem more centered on food security issues.
Following an opening slideshow, the public is given the opportunity to make five-minute presentations. Once everyone who wishes to present has had a chance, there is an opportunity for further commentary.
Williams has been more surprised by what hasn't come up during the consultations: climate change, for example, or how the sector will maintain the fertility of the resource base, or demographics and the average age of farm operators.
"If we're having difficulty attracting operators now, what will it be like seven or eight years from now?"
In 2006, 45 per cent of farm operators in our province were age 55 or older: only 7.5 per cent were under age 35. Williams says farmers' children aren't taking over operations.
After the consultation is over, committee members will go through submissions for common themes or issues. Williams says this will take a number of weeks. Their final report identifying major themes and making recommendations to government will be completed in late May or early June.
Other committee members include Bill Swetnam, Centreville; Patricia Bishop, Port Williams; John Van de Reit, Shubenacadie; and Lise LeBlanc, Newport.
People may also make submissions through the committee's website or at Access Nova Scotia offices.