Angry farmers rendezvous in Rama, Sask.
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | 9:57 PM CT
CBC News
Saskatchewan grain farmer Rob Carlson says he is owed $50,000 by Big Sky Farms, which went into creditor protection two weeks ago. (CBC)The village of Rama, Sask., was the focal point for a group of angry farmers upset with a hog company that has gone into creditor protection and left bills unpaid.
Rama, a community of 75 about 270 kilometres northeast of Regina, is home to a feed mill for the troubled pork producer, Big Sky Farms. Some farmers blocked the entrance to the company's business for part of the day Tuesday.
Big Sky Farms filed for protection from creditors on Nov. 10. Bills not paid before that date are now considered part of the debts of the company, which will go through a court-monitored process to determine how to proceed.
That has left many farmers in dire financial straits because they do not know when — or if — money owed to them will be paid.
"We're here to send the message: We're not going to put up with this," farmer Rob Carlson said Tuesday. "We hauled in grain and didn't get paid. It's as simple as that."
Carlson said he is owed $50,000 for shipments he has made.
He noted that the provincial government has a 60 per cent equity share in Big Sky Farms and should honour the debts of the company.
"I'm sure there's going to be bankruptcies over this," Carlson added. "Guys won't talk about it, but it's a snowball effect. By them not paying their bills, we can't pay our bills and it just goes down the line until somebody takes it."
Carlson said the farmers want politicians to take notice of the situation and had invited provincial Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornrud to meet with them Tuesday.
He said the minister did not show up and has not returned any of their phone calls.
In the past the province has said it would leave the matter of resolving Big Sky Farms' financial problems to the courts.
