With spotty cell phone signals, and the threat of roaming charges in areas near the Manitoba borders, Keystone Agricultural Producers is lobbying cell phone carriers for better rural service.

KAP president Dan Mazier says poor cell service in rural Manitoba is an infrastructure problem that's becoming a public service issue, particulary in emergency situations.

"If you have a first responder coming into the area, assuming that they have service, and all of a sudden they don't, what happens? Who's responsible for that? Someone needs to monitor that," Mazier says. "That goes right back to — I think it was 2013 in southeastern Manitoba — there were grass fires, and first responders — firefighters — could not communicate because there was no cell phone service."

KAP's resolution says cell phone carriers need to improve rural cell phone service or reduce cell phone rates and sign reciprocal agreements with other carriers who can provide improved levels of service.

And in addition to seeking better cell phone service, KAP also plans to lobby Manitoba Hydro for better power service. KAP says the Crown corporation needs to provide service that will meet the everyday needs of modern agriculture with upgrades at a reasonable cost for producers

This resolution comes partly from the Birtle/Foxwarren area, where a KAP member farmer couldn't use his welder because he was at the end of a hydro line.

"If you happen to be at the end of a hydro line in rural Manitoba, your voltage starts dropping because there's so many upstream users," Mazier says. "When the voltage drops on a line, not only does the welder not work, electrical equipment does not operate properly, and what it does lead to — if it drops low enough — is actually damage. That was a bigger concern. So if a [producer] happens to have their fans on for aeration — and the need is much greater in the fall — all of a sudden you have motors burning out. That comes at a cost to agriculture and we don't think that's very fair."

Other KAP resolutions from last week's meeting include plans to lobby the provincial government to lift the school tax rebate cap and reverse the phase out of sewage ejectors.