Saskatchewan flax and canola growers approved plans to amalgamate their organizations in a Jan. 9 vote.
Producer support for the merge of SaskCanola and SaskFlax was “overwhelming,” the groups said in a Jan. 10 news release. The organizations held a joint annual general meeting to share results of member feedback before taking the issue to a vote. The vote passed with “widespread approval,” the release said.
“The collaborative efforts are expected to streamline operations, enhance research initiatives, and provide a more cohesive voice for oilseed growers in the province,” said Tracy Broughton, who is executive director of both groups.
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The two organizations have been sharing an office, management and staff since early 2023, but have kept separate boards of directors and governance structures.
The SaskCanola board voted to keep its current leadership with Keith Fournier as chair and Dean Roberts as vice-chair. SaskFlax also voted to keep chair Greg Sundquist and vice-chair Patricia Lung in place. The boards will continue to provide separate leadership until final audits are complete, the release said. They will then merge into one board and staff.
The groups will work with the Agri-Food Council to amend regulations and officially amalgamate by the beginning of August.
The groups put out a call for grower feedback this summer as the they considered the merger.
In a July interview, Broughton told the Western Producer she’d heard concerns of canola’s interests swallowing flax. While provincial regulations should address that, Broughton said, canola growers have vested interest in keeping both crops viable.
In a news release at the time, Sundquist said amalgamation would minimize costs for flax growers and “better leverage investment opportunities.”
In 2023, Saskatchewan farmers produced about 224,000 metric tonnes of flax, as per the province’s website. Producers grew about 9.7 million tonnes of canola.
—Geralyn Wichers is associate digital editor of AgCanada. She writes from southeast Manitoba.
