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CBC
23-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Alberta's largest cattle industry lender to restart loan program after province lifts order
The Alberta government says loans will resume at Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, the province's largest cattle financing co-op, now that it's compliant with the rules on feeder associations. The PBFC is part of the province's Feeders Association Loan Guarantee (FALG) Program , which helps livestock producers get easier access to loans. Earlier this year, then-minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, RJ Sigurdson, signed an order that stated the province would prohibit the co-op from issuing further advances to its members under the program. An inspection had alleged a number of regulatory and financial mismanagement issues. The entire board subsequently resigned, and a restructuring officer, Alvarez & Marsal, was appointed to oversee PBFC's operations and work toward lifting the loan suspension. The order was rescinded on May 1, according to the province. "The co-operative, working under Alvarez and Marsal Canada's sound management, has brought its operations into compliance with the rules governing feeder associations. It is now compliant with the rules on feeder associations and is being operated soundly," reads a statement from the Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. "On Monday, May 26, producers can confidently apply for and receive loans from the PBFC as it resumes full operations. "The government will continue to provide oversight of and advice to the PBFC — and other feeder co-operatives — to ensure the Feeder Associations Loan Guarantee Program continues with its success." An 'exceptionally trying time' The Feeder Association of Alberta, the provincial umbrella organization, said the past few months have been "an exceptionally trying time for the many members of PBFC that have had their operations put on hold through no fault of their own." "We recognize the pace of business has no sympathy for interruptions and acknowledge the very tough financial position members were placed in," the organization wrote in a release issued Thursday. George L'Heureux, a spokesperson for the Feeder Association of Alberta, said it will be "business as usual" starting Monday morning, with normal lending scheduled that day. "For the producers, boots on the ground, it's been very challenging … waiting and not knowing is huge, and not being able to do business as usual was quite a hardship on quite a few," he said. The co-op will still be run by the receiver for the time being. According to Alvarez & Marsal, a new local supervisor, Cody McBride, has been appointed. Efforts are underway to run a fair and transparent election to appoint a new board of directors, the receiver added. The co-operative is based in "Feedlot Alley," located in southern Alberta.
Calgary Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
'An exceptionally trying time': Province lifts order preventing Picture Butte Feeders Coop from making loans to members
After being banned by the province from lending money to members for about four months, the Picture Butte Feeder Co-operative is getting back in business. Article content Article content Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson issued an order Jan. 27 preventing the co-operative from making any new loans under the government-backed Feeder Associations Loan Guarantee (FALG) program. Article content Article content That order was lifted May 1, following the co-operative's operations being brought back into compliance with the requirements of the Feeder Associations Guarantee Act (FAGA) and the Feeder Associations Guarantee Regulation (FAGR). Article content Article content On Monday, the Picture Butte Feeder Co-operative will resume providing loans to eligible members. Article content 'This has been an exceptionally trying time for the many members of PBFC that have had their operations put on hold through no fault of their own,' Feeder Associations of Alberta chair George L'Heureux said in a statement on Thursday. Article content 'We recognize the pace of business has no sympathy for interruptions and acknowledge the very tough financial position members were placed in.' Article content The Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, the largest of the province's 45 feeder associations, helps members buy livestock through the Feeder Associations Loan Guarantee program, which, according to the province, provides access to low-interest, leveraged financing backed by a government guarantee. Article content Article content As of Aug. 31, 2024, PBFC had 227 active and inactive members. Article content Alvarez & Marsal Canada, along with lenders and regulatory authorities, have taken steps to ensure the association is approved to operate, said the Feeder Associations of Alberta. Article content A new supervisor, Cody McBride, who has more than 25 years of expertise in the agriculture and financial sectors, has been hired,and profit payments are being processed. Article content But the Feeder Associations of Alberta says there's still work to do, including an election for a new board of directors. Article content With the order now lifted, Alvarez & Marsal Canada has turned its attention back to hiring an administrator, a role it says it has largely being doing. In a Thursday update to PBFC members, the restructuring officer said it has narrowed its search to a couple of qualified candidates.
Edmonton Journal
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
'Time to put emotions aside': Alberta's case against retaliatory tariffs
Article content 'American ranchers and farmers are definitely a large part of the base that elected President Trump,' says Alberta's minister of agriculture and irrigation, RJ Sigurdson. And, Sigurdson tells me, this is what they're telling him: 'Listen, we have provided a runway for the president to tackle and move forward with his strategy related to tariff inequities.' But as farmers move into their planting season, they're also saying, time is running out, 'that runway is getting very, very short.' Farmers were able to defer decision-making, until now; it's planting season and choices about whether to plant, what to plant and how many acres to plant, have to be made.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Province suspends loan program at Alberta's largest cattle industry lender after inspections
The Alberta government has suspended a loan program at Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, the province's largest cattle financing cooperative, after an inspection alleged a number of financial mismanagement and regulatory issues. The suspension could mean "a significant and unprecedented disruption" to members of the cooperative and their farming operations, according to one former official. The news comes as many Alberta ranchers are already worried about the financial impact of U.S. tariffs. The Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, which formed in 1991, is part of the province's Feeders Association Loan Guarantee (FALG) Program, which helps livestock producers get easier access to loans. The cooperative is based in "Feedlot Alley," located in southern Alberta. The FALG program has been in place in Alberta since the Great Depression, and is intended to provide "relatively easy access to low interest, leveraged financing backed by a government guarantee," according to the province. In January, Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson signed an order that stated the province would prohibit the cooperative from issuing further advances to its members under the program. The province's claims were attached to an affidavit for Tony Ankermann, who was vice-chairman of the cooperative, dated Feb. 18. They include that the cooperative allegedly accepted ineligible feeder members, used guaranteed loan proceeds for improper purposes, provided more advances than allowed and obstructed provincial inspections, among other violations. In response to the order, the cooperative sought court approval to appoint a restructuring officer, Alvarez & Marshal, to oversee its operations and work toward lifting the loan suspension. A number of board members resigned after the order was issued, while the remainder were set to resign upon the appointment of a restructuring officer, according to documents on Alvarez & Marshal's website. "In seeking the appointment of a restructuring officer, PBCF's intentions are to make the changes necessary within PBFC to ensure that PBFC is best positioned for continued operational success going forward, ideally with the support of the ministry and lenders," Ankermann wrote in the affidavit. Alvarez and Marsal consultants are now acting as if they were the PBFC board and staff while they handle business affairs, according to a statement from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. According to information posted to Alvarez & Marshal's website, PBFC owes a little more than $281 million to its lenders under the credit agreement, which it says is approximately the same amount the PBFC lent to its members. As of Aug. 31, 2024, the PBFC had a total of 227 active and inactive members, according to Ankermann's affidavit. Provincial inspections According to information posted to Alvarez & Marshal's website, a letter was delivered to the cooperative that stated the inspection and investigation section of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation conducted inspections of PBFC between Sept. 7, 2023 and May 15, 2024. That inspection turned up the alleged violations, which triggered the suspension of the cooperative's loan program. Those findings were disputed. The PBFC had sought to seal Ankermann's affidavit, writing that it "contains a copy of the report and compliance memorandum, each of which reference certain findings of the ministry that are subject of significant dispute by certain parties." "The contents of the report may also be the subject of further legal proceedings by various parties, including PBFC," reads a bench brief posted to Alvarez & Marshal's website. According to a statement from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, there is no formal process for disputing a ministerial order under the Feeder Associations Guarantee Act. However, affected parties could consider applying for a judicial review. A spokesperson for Sigurdson declined an interview request, writing in a statement that "to protect the confidentiality of Albertans, Agriculture and Irrigation has a policy to not make compliance records public." "Twice per year, Agriculture and Irrigation inspects feeder associations that participate in the Feeder Association Loan Guarantee Program to ensure compliance with its rules," wrote Darby Crouch in an email. The Alberta government has agreed to guarantee 15 per cent of PBFC's loan facility, Ankermann's affidavit states. It goes on to say that the government guaranteed to cover up to $60 million, but reduced that to $50.25 million on July 17, 2024. Possible 'significant and unprecedented' disruption Given the order, Ankermann's affidavit states that PBFC is presently unable to provide quick and reliable access to funding for members. In seeking a restructuring officer, Ankermann warned about impacts should members be unable to access funding or obtain financing elsewhere. Given the ministerial order, the PBFC said its members cannot currently access financing that it said is "critical to many members' operations and livelihoods." "If … PBFC is unable to satisfy the compliance requirements [laid out in the order], there will be a significant and unprecedented disruption to the members and their respective farming operations," the affidavit reads. "This has the potential of creating a ripple effect throughout the Picture Butte area, considering that PBFC is the largest feeder association in Alberta." It goes on to state that "rumours are spreading throughout the Picture Butte community about the order and PBFC" and that "urgent attention is required to bring stability and restore confidence in PBFC." Curtis Vander Heyden, vice chair of Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, an advocacy organization for beef producers, wrote in an email that there was currently "stress and concern" in two ways when it came to the situation. First, he understands some members that own cattle financed by PBFC can't currently advance additional funds to cover feed costs, he said. Second, he believes others have security deposits or approved funding tied up and can't use it to purchase livestock. "We want to ensure [the FALG program] remains viable and available to producers," Vander Heyden wrote in an email. CBC News sent emails to all of the cooperative's most recent board of directors listed in the receivership documents. Some declined to comment, while others have yet to respond. George L'Heureux, a spokesperson for the Feeder Association of Alberta — the umbrella organization to which feeder associations in Alberta belong — said the provincial board was working with all parties involved to come to a timely resolution.
