INTRODUCTION
Agricultural Service Boards are unique to North America. They are special committees
appointed by the local municipal council to address agricultural concerns in their
communities. They can be comprised of any combination of public or private individuals
who develop policies for the local agricultural sector. The provincial government, through
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, partners with these boards in many ways to
ensure we collectively maintain and improve agricultural production.
The following information will provide a description of how these boards are formed,
governed, and funded. Details about legislation, guidelines and programs are listed in the
Appendix.
HISTORY OF AGRICULTURAL SERVICE BOARDS
Agricultural Service Boards (ASBs) are unique to North America. In 2013 ASBs will
celebrate 68 years of continuous service to producers in Alberta. During the 1920s and
1930
s, agriculture was developing rapidly and new issues were being dealt with.
Provincial specialists began to feel overwhelmed, but by the 1940s, they realized that the
municipalities were closest to the problem and could deal with requests or issues more
quickly than provincial inspectors. In 1943, the M.D. of Conrich, currently called Rocky
View County, and the County of Red Deer joined forces and initiated a trial project where
special agricultural committees were set up. Each committee consisted of two councillors,
two farmers and the district agriculturist. These committees operated with partial funding
from Alberta Agriculture. As a result of the success of these agricultural committees, a
resolution was passed at the municipal districts convention in Calgary, in November 1944.
The resolution read:
"
Be it resolved that this conference endorse and recommend the establishment of ASBs in all
municipal districts, such boards to be similar to personnel and objectives as the one
established in the M.D. of Conrich No. 220 and now in operation and that legislation as may be
considered necessary be enacted by the Legislature to authorize the formation of such boards
and to designate their powers."
In response to the 1944 resolution, the
ASB Act
was drafted and passed into Alberta
Legislation in the spring of 1945. The Act assigned specific duties and powers to both
municipal and provincial partners, while encouraging a cooperative and coordinated effort
in the development of agricultural policies and programs that were of mutual benefit.
Rural municipalities responded to the new legislation in accordance with agricultural
needs and available budget. From 1945-1947, activities under the
ASB Act
focused on
weed and brush control, and soil conservation. As years passed, the role of the ASB
expanded to include a variety of programs to service the agriculture industry. Programs
today continue to focus on weed and pest control but have expanded to include
environmental and sustainable agriculture programs. More information about the history
of ASBs can be found in Appendix 1.
1