More about CTAG

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It’s still about the bottom line

By Henry Vissers, Executive Director, Viewpoint September 2009

As a part of the transition study that was presented and adopted at the 2008 Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture annual general meeting a committee was formed to move the process forward. The role of the Competitive Transition Advisory Group (CTAG) is to provide review, identification and categorization of programs and services offered by NSDA in support of the three pillars of Competitive Transition: (i) transitional support, (ii) strategic public investment, and (iii) public goods and services. 

Outcomes of CTAG committee include:

  • Identification of programs and services offered by other government departments and agencies in support of the three pillars of Competitive Transition.

  • Needs assessment and identification of gaps in programs and services required to support Competitive Transition;

  • Recommendations for the alignment of current NSDA programming under the three pillars of Competitive Transition.

  • Recommendations for future programming and services to support Competitive Transition.


We have conducted over 20 meetings throughout the province consulting with the farm community on what your needs are and where the gaps are with respect to service, programs etc. The committee still has consultations planned with broader industry stakeholders and the report is still to be written but the consultation with the farm community has had a number of points that come forward. The main point being, all the programs services and good intentions will be for naught if we cannot return sectors of the industry to profitability.


Certainly the farm community can use some help in finding that new market niche, developing the products they can grow or value add profitably, but the upheaval in the grain and livestock markets over the past few years have shown that factors beyond our control will continue to affect Nova Scotia farmers at least in the near term, currency and trade risks that affect us all.


However all is not gloom and doom there are also more opportunities for Nova Scotia agriculture now than in the last 20 years and perhaps in a generation. The Farms as energy generators, whether  for food that our bodies use as energy, feed for livestock, grass pellets etc. has been talked to death but I believe has potential as an income generator for farms.


There is also the potential of carbon credits, I know what you’re thinking “show me the money” but I believe this has a real potential to benefit farmers. The buy local/food miles/carbon footprint market will also help create profitability on the farm.


Consider a book that we’ve been hearing about recently by Jeff Rubin called, “Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller” , he talks about  the age of cheap oil being  over, and from that fact will proceed many life-changing or at least lifestyle -changing consequences. Some of the comments from the book: take away cheap oil and the transporting goods long distances will become costly, local economies that have suffered from global competition will be revitalized. He predicts that the rising cost of shipping raw materials across the world will eventually nullify the advantage that China and other low-cost countries currently enjoy because of their lower labour and infrastructure costs. Rubin’s book does not go far into agricultural and food affairs, but his arguments are an example of how things can change.


Part of what will get us ready for that change and hopefully help us to do it profitably is the review  process that we have undertaken, the CTAG process will outline some of the gaps, make recommendations and hopefully make it possible for farmers to take advantage of the change that is coming. So stay tuned for the draft report of the CTAG committee which will be presented at this years Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture AGM Nov 24th & 25th.