Greetings to all the members of the SSCA. As this is my first
report as President there are number of acknowledgments I would
like to make. First of all thanks to Marv Fenrich for his
dedication and hard work during the past year as President, he
leaves big footsteps to follow. Marv now takes over the Past
President position. Dean Smith has served his term as Past
President and has left the executive. His many contacts in
business and government circles and his tireless efforts on
behalf of the SSCA will be missed. Thank-you Dean, keep in touch.
Clint Steinley left his position as West Central Director to
become President Elect. I look forward to working with Marv and
Clint on the executive during the coming year.
John Bennett, the 1994 SSCA Conservation Farmer award winner,
has been appointed by the Board to fulfill the remaining term of
Clint Steinley as West Central Director. Welcome John, your
knowledge and enthusiasm regarding soil conservation will be an
asset to the Association. Dick Richards was re-elected as
Southwest Director, while Dwayne Mitchell retains his position as
Northwest Director, Bernie Niedzwiedz retains his position as
East Central Director and Greg Kane retains his position as
Director at Large by acclamation. The assistance of John and the
rest of the directors and the very capable SSCA staff will make
my coming year as President of the SSCA a much easier
task.
The SSCA staff probably don't get as much recognition as they
should for their efforts and expertise. Their professionalism
particularly shows in the success of our annual meetings and
direct seeding field days. I would also like to include staff
members of SDAF who work side-by-side with our staff at these
events. It takes numerous hours of planning and labour to put on
these events. Planning actually begins over a year in advance.
Our annual meeting and trade show was a great success again this
year with approximately 900 in attendance. Plan to attend next
years annual meeting and trade show in Saskatoon, February 12 and
13. On behalf of the board of directors I wish to congratulate
the office and field staff of the SSCA and the SDAF staff for a
job well done.
I would also like to express congratulations to Pat Flaten,
her co-workers and the steering committee at the CLC, south of
Prince Albert. They are carrying out valuable soil conservation
research on a field scale and have developed a centre that has
become a popular tour destination for many groups. If any of you
haven't yet toured the centre I would highly recommend it.
Besides being an interesting nature watch area, the conservation
related research activities that consider the whole landscape may
be of interest to you for adaptation on your own farm.
You are probably wondering what board members do other than
hold a meeting now and then since most of the Association's work
appears to be done by the staff. Well besides planning the
direction of the SSCA and helping the staff at the meeting and
field day events, we also sit on various provincial committees
and boards. For example, Garry Nolan is a member of the Urban
Awareness Committee, Dean Smith is a member of the Farm Support
Review Committee, Marv Fenrich is on the executive of the
Agri-Food Innovations Fund subcommittee, Ed Beauchesne is
chairman of the Conservation Learning Centre (CLC) steering
committee, Greg Kane is a member of the CLC steering committee,
and I am a member of the Soils and Crops Management Sub-Council.
In addition the board members take part in various soil
conservation related meetings throughout the year.
Our Association membership continues to climb and presently
stands at about 975. We do not take in enough membership fees to
maintain a full compliment of office and field staff and hold our
annual meeting and field days. For that reason the SSCA has taken
on various contracts in the past to bring in the necessary
funding. Our present contract for the Saskatchewan Soil
Enhancement Program (SSEP) will terminate in March of 1997. The
board of directors and staff of the SSCA have spent a
considerable amount of time during the past year planning for
activities after SSEP. There are a number of possible avenues
that we may take and you will be informed of them as negotiations
take place and more information becomes available.
A strong organization makes it easier to bring in outside
funding and also gives us a more credible voice when dealing with
issues that affect the health of our soils. So encourage your
friends and neighbors to join the SSCA and If your membership has
recently expired or will do so shortly please consider renewing
it.
I look forward to meeting you at the various meetings and field days in the coming months. This year we will have two field days, one at Wilkie on June 11 and the other at Regina on June 18. The two field day format was adopted upon request by the implement manufacturers.