in union is strength

SASKATOON, Sask. & BILLINGS, MT-"Net farm income on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border is approaching depression-era levels. Some would have farmers blame their counterparts across the border. Farmers, however, know that the problem is not other farmers, the Canadian Wheat Board, or policies that support agriculture. The problem is: increasingly-powerful agri-business corporations, trade agreements which undermine farmers' interests, and a marketing and distribution system which fails to pay farmers a fair and adequate share of the consumers' grocery-store dollar," stated Cory Ollikka, President of the National Farmers Union (Canada).

"American cattle producers have been hard hit by packers using captive supplies of fed cattle. Cargill, IBP, and ConAgra control 80% the U.S. beef packing industry. Two of these firms, Cargill and IBP, control about 2/3 of Canadian packing capacity as well. These packers work on both sides of the border to drive down prices. Blaming ranchers across the border for low cattle prices is clearly a case of blaming the victims," said Jerry Sikorski, Chair of the Northern Plains Resource Council. He added: "A first step toward solving the problem of captive supplies would be a thorough investigation of how many of the cattle shipped across the border are controlled by major packers and to what degree packers are utilizing captive supplies to manipulate prices on both sides of the border."

Sikorski and Ollikka's comments come on the eve of the " 49th Parallel Ag Summit " to be held in Great Falls on April 24th. That summit is organized by U.S. Senator Conrad Burns.

The NFU (Canada) is dedicated to maintaining the family farm as the principle unit of food production in Canada. It represents thousands of Canadian farm families producing a wide variety of commodities.

The Northern Plains Resource Council is a grassroots Montana citizens' organization of farmers, ranchers, townspeople and other conservationists which works on natural resource and agricultural issues and is dedicated to improving Montana's unique rural quality of life.

Ollikka and Sikorski agreed: "The 49th Parallel Ag Summit will be a failure if it does not adequately address the role played by multinational agribusiness corporations in the current rural crisis on both sides of the border. Agribusiness wants to pit farmer against farmer. Canadian and U.S. farmers must work together toward effective and collective solutions."

For More Information:

• Cory Ollikka, President, National Farmers Union (Canada)
  (780) 383 - 2148 or (780) 499 - 4805
  
• Jerry Sikorski, Chair, Northern Plains Res. Council
  (406) 248 - 1154
  
• Dennis Olson, Community Organizer, NPRC
  (406)248 - 1154