Your Daily look at the CFA Semi Annual

as it happens (from Tuesday July 28, 2009)

ABOVE PHOTO: APAS Director David Spencer listens in as Committee Chairs lead the discussion regarding key issues facing the industry

Delegates from APAS and other key farm organizations from across Canada arrived in Kelowna on Monday evening for three days of education, networking and policy development at the 2009 CFA Semi-Annual Meeting.

Tuesday`s agenda was dedicated to a full slate of CFA Policy Committee meetings, each attended by various members of the APAS delegation:

8 am to 10:15 am - Safety Nets Committee

8 am to 9:30 am - Food Safety Committee

9:45 am to 12:15 pm - Environment and Science Committee

10:15 am to 12:15 pm - Grains and Oilseeds Committee (Chaired by APAS President, Greg Marshall)

12:45 pm to 3:45 pm - Trade Committee

4:00 pm to 6:00 pm - Executive Council

From 6-8 pm on Tuesday evening, delegates from farm organizations from across the country attended the CFA President`s Reception in downtown Kelowna. This casual event was an opportunity to network with other delegates, conference guests and sponsors and unwind afer a long day of meetings.

Later in the evening, executive and staff from all three Prairie organizations met over dinner as the Prairie Farm Leaders group. The evening meeting's agenda included discussion about and around the following topics:

Individualized Area Based Insurance Project being launched in Alberta

Phase II of Producer Payment Security Project
Continued monitoring and communication of Fertilizer and Other Input Costs
Agricultural Flexibility (AgriFlex)
The 'Farmers Share' communications/media strategy for fall '09
New Entrants and Intergenerational Transfers research
Impacts of the proposed Monsanto/Bayer amalgamation or partnership
Genetically modified wheat and related issues.

The Prairie Farm Leaders will meet again in Regina in October to further these and other discussions.