KAP Welcomes MELT Deferral Extension For Class 1 Ag Drivers

Jul 10, 2020

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has issued the following statement concerning mandatory entry-level training (MELT):

On June 26, the provincial government approved a six-month extension of the deferral of mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for Class 1 truck drivers in the agriculture sector, due to the impacts of COVID-19 on driver’s testing and to allow for completion of the requirements after harvest season.

This means that Class 1 drivers in the agricultural sector now have until March 1, 2021 to complete MELT training.

Drivers who want to upgrade this conditional licence to a full Class 1 licence can do so by completing the MELT course and do not require an additional road test.

After March 1, 2021, existing conditional licences revert to Class 1A (authorized instruction), and these drivers can receive a full Class 1 licence by completing MELT and do not need to re-test.

KAP has lobbied for this extension over the last number of weeks due to concerns raised by our members, and we are pleased to see that the government has recognized the concerns we have raised.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.