In 1972, the turkey growers met together to consider establishing a marketing board. A meeting was held on May 8, 1972 to discuss the proposal by the National Turkey Coordinating Committee of a National Turkey Marketing Plan, to operate under the National Farm Products Council. There were many reasons it was deemed necessary to establish a marketing board in Nova Scotia.
- The province might be used as a dumping ground for turkey (surplus, undergrades) outside the province, leading to lower prices, leading to force local producers out of business. At this time, frozen turkey (mostly B grade and utilities) were being dumped in Nova Scotia markets. With the decrease of this surplus, the local suppliers could increase their production to supply the local market. In other words, the surplus could be better controlled.
- The only way that this could be accomplished would be to become a member, it was necessary to become a Board. In this way, a representative could be sent to the National meetings to take part in the negotiations for setting the quota base allocations for all of Canada. It was generally agreed, at this meeting, that it was necessary to establish a Marketing Board.
- On December 11, 1972 the Board was established by the Order-in-Council. The first annual meeting of the producers was held on February 21, 1973. The regulations became effective January 23, 1973.
Since 1972 all of the existing producers expanded their facilities and added new barns, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars in investment. We brought in three new growers in 1987, and two in 1988. Today there are nineteen turkey producers in the province of Nova Scotia. This brings us to today.