October 18, 2022 Message to the Membership
Posted on October 18, 2022 in Message to the Membership
Last week at an NSBA Series Luncheon we had the pleasure of hosting Ken Seitz, the newly minted CEO of Nutrien, the world’s largest potash producer, based right here in Saskatoon. Ken is an abundantly talented and smart man and it’s clear to see how he’s climbed the ladder to become the top dog at Nutrien.
What I found particularly insightful is that Ken is a good ol’ Saskatchewan farm kid, which makes him (to my knowledge at least), the first of his kind in that role. It’s no surprise then that Nutrien, which many of us Saskatchewanians likely long considered strictly a potash mining company – through its growth, mergers and acquisitions – now places the needs of the farm producer first and foremost in its short and long-term goals.
Although they are experts at it with decades of experience in the field, with a worldwide market no less, Nutrien is much more than a potash mining company. In addition to potash, Nutrien produces and distributes nitrogen and phosphate products, giving them the ultimate trifecta of fertilizer products.
For those of you lawn and garden enthusiasts, you know the numbers 11-52-0, 20-20-20 and 46-0-0 etc. that you see on the bags of fertilizer that you purchase at the store? Well, those numbers represent the units of each of those three components, Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash (respectively), within the fertilizer you’re buying. And yep, Nutrien’s got them all, which is an incredibly good thing for not only the company, but for all of us in Saskatchewan.
Additionally, through their Nutrien Ag Solutions, which you will see scattered virtually everywhere whenever you do a road trip through our province (and others as well), they have a direct connection to the folks that feed the world. It’s incredibly gratifying to see, particularly as the world’s consumption of food will never be less than it is today. Think about that for a moment – we will always need greater quantities of food for a growing world. With less arable land available to grow this food, there will always be a need for Nutrien and their products.
Good thing we have a 200-year stock on our hands in Saskatchewan then, I guess.
But it also makes you wonder how agriculture has become a dirty word for some people. As Ken Seitz said, it’s gotten an undeservedly bad rap, because farmers are the original environmental stewards of our land. Indeed, it makes absolutely no sense why they would want to damage their soils, their crops and their farms.
Talk about biting your nose off to spite your face.
Rather, they are so in tune with the needs of their farm – their business – that they know to the nth degree how much of each fertilizer compound they need to get the best results. And of course there’s a self-interest at stake, it is their livelihood after all, but it serves a much greater purpose, and I know I’m not alone when I say that it’s the noblest of causes – to feed the world.
I’m providing this brief synopsis to let you know that you have to more amazing presentations to take in over the next two weeks. These ones will be municipally focused, and very interesting to say the least. First up are Councillors Cynthia Block and Troy Davies, who co-chair the Downtown Event and Entertainment District Advisory Group. Tomorrow, October 19, they will be giving an update as to where the proposed project stands as of today.
Although the NSBA granted its official support for the project years back, we know that it’s not a universally held opinion by all. Even within our membership. And that’s OK. Seldom are there issues when we have universal support of our membership. But if you’re among those who think that it’s a waste of money, will be rife with traffic congestion, parking issues etc., I think it would be worth your while to take in the presentation. You will likely hear how those issues are being addressed in a proactive way.
And finally, next week, on October 28 we have Sgt. Wade Bourassa of the Air Support Unit of the Saskatoon Police Service giving what I know will be an eye-opening and jaw-dropping presentation on the effectiveness of the Air Support Unit. I say this because I’ve been given this presentation personally, prior to a fly-along excursion I had back in the pre-COVID days, and Sgt. Bourassa also gave a presentation to the membership during COVID.
We’ve brought him back because that crowd was understandably small, and we know that more of our membership deserves to see this wonderful use of taxpayer dollars. I guarantee you will be impressed at the very least, if not wowed, by Sgt. Bourassa. But don’t take my word for it, sign up to attend!
Until next time, be safe, be smart, be considerate, be well, but most of all, be kind.
Keith Moen
Executive Director
