The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) stated emphatically today that no new deal at the World Trade Organization (WTO) would be a bad deal for Canadian farmers.

Without a new agreement, the future competitiveness of Canada 's agriculture industry is at stake. The current international trading market remains significantly distorted by a range of barriers - including restrictive tariffs, arbitrary limits on market access, domestic support programs and export subsidies. Combined with the weakened U.S. dollar, which puts an additional burden on all Canadian exporters, the pressure on Canadian agricultural exporters has never been higher. Over 92% (210,000) of Canadian farmers are directly dependent on export markets - they either export their products or sell them domestically at prices set by international marketplaces.

"Billions are at stake for export dependent agriculture," says Darcy Davis, President of CAFTA. "To not get a new WTO agreement would mean tariffs can be raised and domestic supports increased to further distort international trade.  Canada 's trade-dependent agriculture sectors, by far the majority of our agriculture producers, need a new deal not just to increase our access to world markets, but to maintain what we've got. There is no status quo."

CAFTA delegates remain in Geneva where international ministers of trade are attempting to hammer out an agreement on a package of compromise parameters for agricultural tariff and subsidy reductions. Failure to reach an agreement would mean failure for the Doha Round of WTO negotiations and the likelihood that no new WTO agreement would be reached for years.

June 6, 2008 -- A poll conducted by a long-time Liberal insider on behalf of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) confirms Western Canadian farmers overwhelmingly support barley marketing freedom. A closer look at the CWB survey results released today shows Western Canadian farmers’ demands for barley marketing freedom are even stronger than CWB Chair Larry Hill stated during his appearance at the Senate Committee on Agriculture yesterday.

“There is no longer any doubt how strong and deep support for barley marketing freedom now runs among Western Canadian farmers,” said the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board.

When Mr. Hill appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee he said 57 per cent of Western Canadian farmers are demanding marketing freedom for barley. What the CWB’s own survey actually says is that 57 per cent of Western Canadian farmers want marketing freedom for wheat.

The CWB’s survey actually shows that nearly 70 per cent of Western Canadian farmers are demanding barley marketing freedom. In fact, Mr. Herle specifically states in the survey that “dual marketing is the preference among farmers for barley marketing” and “if they cannot have a dual market, most would prefer an open market to the single desk.”

“The results of this survey are so clear the Liberals cannot even spin the numbers coming from their own insider to support their ideological crusade against Western Canadian barley farmers,” said Minister Ritz.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and this Government are working hard to deliver barley marketing freedom and it is time for the Liberals to give Western Canadian barley farmers the freedom they are demanding by supporting Bill C-46.

Canada's opposition parties blocked a move by the minority Conservative government on Monday to "fast-track" an end to the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on barley.

Opposition parties declined to consent to a government plan to directly send the barley bill to the agriculture committee, meaning it will follow the usual track of debate and a vote in the House of Commons before going to the committee. 

"We had hoped that it would go to committee, because that would allow it to be fast-tracked," said David Anderson, parliamentary secretary to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

The Conservatives have promised to end the Wheat Board's marketing monopoly on western wheat and barley and give farmers the choice of selling through the CWB or directly to millers, maltsters and export markets.

The farmer-run CWB had C$4.95 billion ($4.85 billion) in revenue last year, mainly from wheat, making it one of the world's largest grain traders. 
Its supporters say the agency could not compete without its monopoly because it does not own handling facilities.

The government planned to first end the smaller barley single desk on August 1, but needs support from at least one opposition party to pass a bill introduced early in March.

Opposition parties have said they do not support the bill. Parliament breaks from June 20 until September 15, making it unlikely the bill could pass in time for the August 1 target.

"We'd like the see (the changes) take place by August 1. I don't know if that's possible now. We'll have to see," Anderson said in an interview. "The constraints of a minority government are that if the opposition doesn't ... want to pass a bill, we don't have the numbers to force it through," he said.

Anderson said recent polling done for the CWB shows farmers support the government's plan.

The survey said 41 percent of farmers want the option of dealing with the CWB or selling directly to barley buyers, while 26 percent wanted the CWB out of the barley market, and 27 percent supported the CWB's role.

When asked to choose between an open market and the CWB, 52 percent of farmers said the market should open, while 40 percent wanted the CWB to retain its monopoly.

August 7, 2008 -- For 73 years, the Canadian Wheat Board swore there was strength in numbers; that Western farmers, as a band of grain-pooling brothers, could stand firm against the exploitations of speculators and corporations; that as one of the world's biggest grain marketers, its clout commands premiums. Announcing last week that the board projects a record $7-billion in revenue this year, chairman Larry Hill handed credit directly to monopoly power. The "CWB was able to leverage its role as a single seller ... to achieve strong values for farmers" boasted his press release.

A new study by one of the world's top agronomics firms, Informa Economics, though, suggests the CWB isn't so mighty after all. Commissioned by the Alberta government and released the same day as Mr. Hill's announcement, it concluded the board succeeds no better than your average schmo when it comes to grain marketing. More damning, it calculates that growers would have gotten richer over the past several years from the open market, rather than being forced to sell to the board.

Freeing farmers from the CWB's monopolistic grip has been the federal Conservatives' plan since they were elected in 2006, rooted in Reform Party principles that Westerners deserve the same rights as their Eastern peers to freely sell a product of their labour. So far, their efforts have been frustrated. But this latest report may offer the most powerful ammunition yet in undermining the Canadian Wheat Board's entire raison d'etre.

"If you could show that year in, year out they get a higher return you might be able to argue, 'Well maybe there is a case for denying individual freedom,' " says Blair Rutter, executive director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, a pro-marketing-choice group. "If you can't even demonstrate that they get an above-average return, then what's their justification?" 

The CWB has studied the report for the past several days, preparing its response. In an e-mail, spokeswoman Maureen Fitzhenry said it may come as early as today and "would certainly refute its main conclusion."

This will be a tough thing to dismiss, though. Informa's reputation is as a top authoritative source for agronomics analysis. Based in Memphis, British owned, it has no dog in this policy fight; its good name (its parent firm is traded on the London exchange) is surely worth more than scoring political points in Canada with faulty studies.

Economists used a treasury of grain pricing data from the UN, USDA and published elevator and gate prices to analyze wheat board profitability using three different models (the CWB refused to share its own confidential sales figures, but controlling 95% of Canadian wheat and barley exports, national statistics come close). Every which way, the study found board taking home prices that, over time, came up short.

If the CWB ever was a market mover, it is no more, says David Reimann, Informa's vice-president. Producers in the former Soviet bloc export more wheat. Americans, too. Western Canada, suffering a heavier drop in wheat acreage than any exporting jurisdiction, slipped from 20% world market share in 1995 to 14%. Canadian barley, just 11%. "The CWB's relatively small share in the international market means it is unable to exert any real influence over global prices," the report states. It is a "price taker" -- meaning it gets the going rate. Anyone can manage that. And without the inefficiencies of the single-desk system, the authors estimate, Western producers could have made $2.25-billion-$3-billion more over the last five years in the open market.

That's Alberta's interest in fact-checking the CWB's claims, spending $50,000 on the report to do it; its producers have long favoured marketing choice (Saskatchewan recently joined the campaign, too, leaving Manitoba's NDP the board's only provincial ally). "The evidence is that the current system is costing [farmers] money," says Alberta Agriculture spokesman Lucas Warren. "We want to provide the best economic opportunity for them."

The federal Conservatives' approach, though, has faced accusations of being more ideological than practical. Attempts to, as a first step, let barley farmers opt out of the CWB have been thwarted by an aggressive, activist board. Directors overturned the government's tries at regulatory changes in court. Opposition parties refuse to support legislation deregulating barley, persuaded by the CWB that a majority of producers prefer the status quo and believe it makes more than going it alone.

But the board's own surveys have shot the first claim: 67% of barley farmers polled this year oppose its monopoly. And if the CWB can't offer one heck of a compelling argument to controvert Alberta's new and potent evidence that board collectivism actually hurts farmers, not helps them, it's going to have a tough time selling its strength in numbers story any longer.

July 31, 2008 -- Olds area farmer Jeff Nielsen announced today he will run for director of district 2 in the Canadian Wheat Board's (CWB's) fall elections. Nielsen will run on the platform that  marketing choice can and will work for farmers - and for the CWB.

"Marketing choice is a goal of mine not just for district 2 but for all of western Canadian wheat and barley producers," says Nielsen. "I have been encouraged by many of my farmer colleagues to run for the CWB director position and I look forward to the opportunity to serve the farmers of district 2."

Nielsen adds: "I personally support more choice for farmers and if elected I will work hard at the board table to achieve that objective while also preserving the CWB. I believe that the Canadian Wheat Board can continue to be a successful marketing alternative, just as the Ontario Wheat Producers' Marketing Board (OWPMB) is for Ontario producers, even though the OWPMB doesn't have monopoly powers.

"It is time to move forward and I will bring my experience to the CWB board table in advocating for policies and programs that will achieve marketing choice while also preserving principles of the CWB, like pooling, for the benefit those producers who want that option."

In his years as director of both United Grain Growers and Agricore United, Nielsen worked with proactive farm leaders to represent the needs of farmers in district 2. If elected, he will continue to represent them. 

Nielsen operates J. E. Nielsen Farms Inc., a 1,350-acre grain and oilseed farm near Olds, Alberta and is currently the president of the Western Barley Growers Association. He has also been on numerous trade missions to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, promoting more trade liberalization to provide the grains, oilseed, pulses, pork and beef producer's better market access and returns.

June 30, 2008 -- One statistic concerning the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has always caused me wry amusement. When I first began covering the country's collectivist grain merchant more than a decade ago, it claimed to represent more than 120,000 farmers on the prairies. Today it boasts just 75,000.  
 
The amusing part is that this decline undermines the board's central argument for its own worth -- namely that there is strength in numbers; all prairie wheat and barley farmers must be lashed to the board's mast together or, as individuals, they would surely sink.  
 
But in just under 15 years, the number of farmers with permit books -- the licenses they need to sell their grain to the government, and only the government -- has fallen by almost half. If there is so much strength in numbers, how come farmers can be permitted to stop growing the grains that the wheat board markets?  
 
Seriously. When I first argued that the board should be voluntary, there were nearly 120,000 farmers pooling their wheat together under the CWB's "single-desk" selling model. I said, even if a quarter of them chose to market outside the board, that would still leave 90,000, more than enough to provide the strength through unity the board argued was essential.  
 
At the time, board supporters and PR types insisted 90,000 wouldn't do the trick. For their system to work, it had to include all 120,000.  
 
Over the intervening years, tens of thousands of farmers have left to grow non-board crops, such as oats, beans, flax and so on. Some have left farming altogether because the board wouldn't free them to sell independently the wheat or barley they grew on their own land, with their own labour, using their own resources. All that's left is 75,000 growers, far fewer than the 90,000 I was told a decade ago was too few to keep the board viable.  
 
Yet, still the board insists there is no room for farmers to sell their wheat except through the CWB.  
 
It's clear, then, the board has no idea what number of farmers is needed to keep it viable, and equally clear the number of farmers shackled to it doesn't matter to the board. What matters -- as it does to all bureaucratic, central-planning agencies -- is control and survival. The board is not interested in maximizing return to farmers as much as it interested in maintaining its iron grip over prairies grain sales and, thereby, ensuring its own continued existence.  
 
If the strength-in-numbers argument were valid, the board would not only be arguing for retention of its monopoly but for an addition law insisting no current wheat or barley grower should be permitted to switch to other crops, or, for that matter, to quit farming altogether.  
 
When I have made this argument before, I have been told it is preposterous, that the board would never dream of forcing farmers to keep farming crops they don't want to. But how is that any more preposterous than forcing them to sell the crops they have chosen to grow only to the board, or face jail time?  
 
The simple fact is, there is no difference. The coercion is only a matter of degrees.  
 
If the board is still as viable at 75,000 farmers as it was at 120,000 
-- and the board insists it is -- than it would be equally viable at 50,000 or 60,000, if those farmers content to take the risk of marketing their own grain were freed to do so.  
 
There is no legitimate argument -- economic or moral -- for permitting the board to retain its absolute control over prairie grain sales.  
 
In his letter to the editor last week about a column I wrote last Monday, CWB chairman Larry Hill said what I had written was full of inaccuracies. I'll concede there was one -- I had missed the appointment by the Conservative government of five pro-free-market directors to the board to replace the Liberals' five pro-monopoly appointees.  
 
I shouldn't have missed it and for that I apologize.  
 
But I reject Mr. Hill's contention that I am a free-speech hypocrite for arguing strenuously for the right to free expression for others, but not the board.  
 
I didn't write the headline that accompanied my piece, "Wheat board should remain silent." I said the wheat board should be made voluntary. That way, whatever money it spent on lobbying for its own existence would come only from those farmer-shareholders who agreed with that goal, rather than also from farmers who wanted out from under the board. What Mr. Hill and other board supporters want is the power for the CWB to be as coercive as government.

Lorne Gunter
National Post

June 6, 2008 -- A poll conducted by a long-time Liberal insider on behalf of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) confirms Western Canadian farmers overwhelmingly support barley marketing freedom. A closer look at the CWB survey results released today shows Western Canadian farmers’ demands for barley marketing freedom are even stronger than CWB Chair Larry Hill stated during his appearance at the Senate Committee on Agriculture yesterday. 

“There is no longer any doubt how strong and deep support for barley marketing freedom now runs among Western Canadian farmers,” said the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board.

When Mr. Hill appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee he said 57 per cent of Western Canadian farmers are demanding marketing freedom for barley. What the CWB’s own survey actually says is that 57 per cent of Western Canadian farmers want marketing freedom for wheat.

The CWB’s survey actually shows that nearly 70 per cent of Western Canadian farmers are demanding barley marketing freedom. In fact, Mr. Herle specifically states in the survey that “dual marketing is the preference among farmers for barley marketing” and “if they cannot have a dual market, most would prefer an open market to the single desk.” 

“The results of this survey are so clear the Liberals cannot even spin the numbers coming from their own insider to support their ideological crusade against Western Canadian barley farmers,” said Minister Ritz.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and this Government are working hard to deliver barley marketing freedom and it is time for the Liberals to give Western Canadian barley farmers the freedom they are demanding by supporting Bill C-46.

June 6, 2008 -- Fewer Western Canadian farmers support the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on wheat and barley sales than did a year ago, according to an annual poll released by the farmer-run agency on Friday. 
 
For wheat, 57 percent of farmers said the CWB should keep its government-granted monopoly on sales to millers and export markets, while 39 percent said the market should be open. 
 
Last year, 61 percent of farmers supported the monopoly, while 35 percent wanted it to end. 
 
For barley, 52 percent of farmers said the market should open, with 40 percent wanting the CWB to retain its monopoly on sales to maltsters and export markets. 
 
Farmers were split last year, with 48 percent supporting the barley monopoly and 46 percent wanting it to end. 
 
"If you look at the 10-year average, the numbers haven't changed much," Larry Hill, chairman of the CWB's board, told Reuters. 
 
Hill said recent increases in cash grain prices have caused some dissatisfaction with the CWB's pooled prices, which give farmers returns based on sales made through a whole year. 
 
But a federal government's "gag order" has restricted the CWB from doing more to explain its prices, Hill said. 
 
"Our opponents have been going full-blast, so that may have an effect as well," Hill said. 
 
The CWB and the federal government will square off over the gag order in court on June 16. 
 
The CWB had C$4.95 billion ($4.85 billion) in revenue last year, making it one of the world's largest grain traders. 
 
Its monopoly powers on sales of Western Canadian grain have long been an irritant to international competitors. Canada's minority Conservative government also wants to dismantle the CWB's "single desk." 
 
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said the poll supports his plans to make the CWB optional. "There is no longer any doubt how strong and deep support for barley marketing freedom now runs among Western Canadian farmers," Ritz said in a release. 
 
The CWB has said it could not compete in a dual market because it does not own handling facilities. 
 
In a second set of questions, when offered the additional option of a dual market, 41 percent chose a dual market for barley, while 26 percent preferred an open market and 27 percent supported the CWB. 
 
For wheat, 45 percent of farmers picked the dual market, with 12 percent wanting an open market and 42 percent the CWB. 
 
The government said the question shows a combined total of 67 percent of farmers want "marketing freedom" for barley and 57 percent for wheat. 
 
But Hill rejected combining the results, and said he believes farmers want the CWB to find more flexible pricing options while keeping the clout of the monopoly. 
 
"This poll says, 'Keep looking,"' said Hill, a farmer from Swift Current, Saskatchewan. "What this poll doesn't say is, 'Get rid of the single desk."' 
 
The survey of 1,300 farmers was done in early March. 
 
Farmers showed strong support for a new malting barley program designed to track cash markets, Hill said. The program has been rejected by most maltsters and grain companies. 
 
Most also said farmers should decide the CWB's future, not the federal government.

May 27, 2008 –- The Government of Canada is introducing amendments to the Canadian Wheat Board Act to make sure that board members are elected only by Western Canadian farmers who are commercially producing grain. The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, introduced Bill C-57 in the House of Commons today. 
 
“You earn the right to call yourself a farmer by growing crops, not by filing paperwork,” said Minister Ritz. “This Government is making sure the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) listens to real farmers by introducing this legislation to give farmers a stronger voice in director elections.” 
 
The current legislation allows any producer to vote in director elections. Many producers who are named in a permit book have retired, rented out their land, or only grow small amounts of grain as a hobby. 
 
This legislation will ensure voters in CWB director elections are genuine farmers who have produced at least 120 tonnes of grain in either of the two crop years preceding the election. The Government of Canada intends to have these eligibility requirements in place for the director elections in the fall of 2008. 
 
“The CWB must be responsive to farmers and this Government’s legislation delivers that accountability,” said Minister Ritz.

What the CWB is Doing for YOU!!
Based on a 1500 acre farm in the Killarney area

**Possibility of getting LESS than CWB Pro is likely.

**CANOLA price is the same on both sides of the border without CWB control

US price is based on BTR Farmer's Elevator, ND and Bottineau Elevator, ND.  These are all within a 90 mile radius of Killarney.  There are no US subsidies included in these prices.  Grain prices as of January 9, 2008.

Loss of income with CWB marketing: $134,074

"Thank you, CWB, for what YOU think is a "great" job of marketing our grain."  - A Canadian Farmer

Contact Your Local Member of Parliament

China has slightly over one-fifth of the world population, and with a rapidly growing middle class, it is a major economic driver in the global market.  China is now the world's largest producer and consumer of agri-food products.  Its emergence as a key competitor in some markets, and as a market destination in others, is of considerable interest to the Canadian agri-food sector.  This issue of the Bi-weekly Bulletin examines some key elements of China's agricultural sector and looks at the prospects of increased trade between Canada and China.

Reply to a Letter

April 22, 2008 -– Ken Ritter, former chairman of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), responded to Art Mainil (an honourable farmer who has fought for farmers' freedom for years) over the issue of farmers freedom and the CWB ("Farmers do better with CWB", Leader-Post Letters, Mar 27.

In his letter, Ritter tactfully avoided the question of freedom. Instead, he referenced the fact that Quebec voted for a CWB single-desk marking system for wheat to support his argument to keep the CWB.

In this fact lies the essence of freedom. The Quebec farmers voted. The collective system in Quebec for marketing milling wheat is accountable to farmers and only to farmers.

Instituted in 2003 by a vote, it can be terminated by farmers by simple majority of 51 per cent.

Despite only 38 per cent of farmers in Western Canada supporting the retention of the CWB monopoly in the most recent plebiscite, we have not achieved change. Why? Because the CWB is not accountable to farmers (despite Ritter's rhetoric claiming falsely it is).

The CWB is, always has been, and remains accountable to the government of Canada, which is why MPs are now voting on the change that farmers already supported in the plebescite held last year. If we had the same system as Quebec, the CWB would be gone, long gone.

Western farmers have been under the War Measures Act, which instituted the monopoly system in 1943 by the Parliament of Canada. And despite farmers going to jail and being branded as criminals by the very country that imprisoned them in the 1990, and a vote that clearly stated we were done with the institution and the attempts of the federal Conservative government to let freedom reign, we cannot attain freedom to chose, which is all we've been seeking -- for years.

The CWB is a violation of the freedom of western farmers, who want to chose how they sell the wheat and barley the produce on their farms.

And, yes, in Ontario they can chose. And in Quebec, they can vote.

For western farmers, the Parliament of Canada will decide how just that is.

The CWB monopoly discriminated against western farmers' rights and freedoms.

Yes, the CWB is only in Western Canada and, yes, farmers in the rest of Canada are treated very differently.

To think that my uncles died for freedom in the same war that took away farmers' rights.

Vicki Dutton
Paynton, SK

Farmers for Justice calls Canadian Wheat Board “Un-Canadian”

“The root of the issues for the Western Canadian farmers lies in democratic freedom; freedom that men have fought and died for.  What is happening these days is very un-Canadian.”

April 2, 2008 -– As Ian White, new CEO of the CWB settles into his first week behind his desk, Farmers for Justice is hopeful his ear is attuned to “more than the same tired voices we’ve heard repeatedly,” says FFJ spokesperson Colleen Bianchi.

And they have reason to be hopeful.  White’s extensive agriculture background includes senior and high level executive positions with a variety of Australian agribusiness companies.  Australia maintains a transparent and accountable wheat board with marketing choice.

“This is not about money,” Bianchi said.  “It’s about fundamental rights.  Western Canadian farmers are being denied the same rights as Quebec and Ontario farmers have enjoyed for years.  This is about democratic freedom – having marketing choice, and eliminating discrimination.  Any less than that is simply un-Canadian.”

Parliament is voting on Bill C-46, a bill which will amend the CWB Act.  There have been calls for a plebiscite on this Bill, but FFJ disagrees.

“A plebiscite is costly, and a recent plebiscite has already showed very clearly that only 38% of western farmers supported retention of the CWB monopoly,” continued Bianchi.  “What we are expecting is no different than what is already granted to the rest of the country: No Cost Export Licenses.”

“It is our hope that the decision of Ian White, the CWB Board of Directors, and the Canadian Parliament will accurately reflect the wishes and desires of Western farmers.  We want choice.  We want fairness.  We want freedom.  And we need to hear we have those rights by the August 1 new crop year.”

Programs Under the Agricultural Policy Framework are Continuing for Quebec Producers

April 1, 2008 -- The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, and the Honourable Laurent Lessard, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, today announced the continuation of programs under the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF). The ministers stated that the continuation of APF programs is necessary to allow programs to be developed under Growing Forward.

“Growing Forward is delivering real results for Canadian agriculture and this Government is working with the provinces and territories to give farm families stability while we develop important new initiatives,” said Minister Ritz. “Providing this stability while delivering progress on Growing Forward is another example of this Government’s commitment to put farmers first.”

“Continuing programs will allow for a smooth transition to Growing Forward, thereby addressing the concerns raised by all stakeholders in the sector, and will ensure the continuity of the efforts and initiatives undertaken by our farmers and our partners,” added Minister Lessard.

The continuation of programs under APF will allow Growing Forward programs to be developed with the needs of the sector in mind. “This gives us the time we need to ensure farmers have the voice they deserve in program design,” said Minister Ritz.

Programs are Continuing for Ontario Producers

April 1, 2008 -- The federal and provincial governments are working to deliver new programs for Ontario farmers through the Growing Forward initiative, but while that progress continues, existing programs under the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) will be extended for up to one year, starting April 1, 2008.

The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, and the Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, today announced details about the continuation of programs under the APF. 

“Growing Forward is delivering real results for Canadian agriculture and this Government is working with the provinces and territories to give farm families stability while we develop important new initiatives,” said Minister Ritz. “Providing this stability while delivering progress on Growing Forward is another example of this Government’s commitment to put farmers first.”

“Ontario producers need ongoing access to programs that can help them achieve a prosperous and profitable future,” said Minister Dombrowsky. “Managing the smooth transition from APF to Growing Forward will provide certainty for our farmers and all our partners.”

Consultations will continue so that Growing Forward programs are developed with the needs of the sector in mind. “This gives us the time we need to ensure farmers have the voice they deserve in program design,” said Minister Ritz.

Hill faces ongoing struggle with Tory government

March 29, 2008 -- The farmer run Canadian Wheat Board has elected Larry Hill as its new chairman after Ken Ritter, who had led the marketing agency since 1999, stepped down this week.

"I know that it's not going to be an easy job, but it's an important thing that the CWB function in the best interest of producers," Hill said in an interview on Friday.

The wheat board, which had $4.95 billion in revenue last year, has been locked in a struggle with the federal government, which wants to end its monopoly on sales of Prairie wheat and barley to millers, malsters and export markets.

Hill, a farmer from Swift Current, SK, is a strong monopoly supporter and has been on the wheat board's board of directors since 1999.

Ritter, who farms at Kindersley, SK, became the first chairman when the governance of the 72-year-old wheat board was overhauled to give farmers more control over the agency, one of the world's largest grain marketers.  Farmers elect 10 directors to the board.  The government appoints five, including the CEO.  A narrow majority of elected, pro-monopoly directors now controls the board.

Ritter's term as a director is set to expire this year.  He said he stepped down so a new chairman could begin at the same time as the agency's new chief executive, Ian White, who takes the helm on Monday.

"it's a new beginning, a very fundamental change for the organization, and this is a s good a time as any to make that exchange" a the board of directors, Ritter told Reuters.

Before he joined the board, Ritter had advocated for a "dual market," where the wheat board would compete for farmers' grain with other buyers.  But he changed his mind after joining the board, and became a staunch monopoly supporter, leading the fight against the Conservative government's push to change the agency's mandate.

Ritter said he is optimistic about the wheat board's future if farmers are allowed to continue to control it.

"If it's left in the hands of farmers, I think the board has a bright future.  If it's left in the hands of government, who know s - they have to answer that question," he said.

March 26, 2008 -- Canadian railways are reaping unreasonable profits, farm groups said yesterday, releasing a study they said should nudge the federal government to investigate what it costs rail carriers to ship grain.

Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway get a 50% return on the variable costs, according to estimates by rain analyst John Edsforth.

That's more than double what they were allowed to earn before rail laws were overhauled in 2000, and twice what they would earn if there was more competition, Edsforth said in a study commissioned by the Canadian Wheat Board.

Farm groups said railways make at least $100 million a year in excessive profits, or about $9,000 from an average farmer's annual $50,000 freight bill.

"We're paying an extra $9,000 (per farm) that currently has been going toward CN and CP shareholders," Manitoba farmer Ian Wishart said at an elevator northwest of Winnipeg where tractor-trailers unloaded wheat and canola.

A spokesman for Canadian National, the country's largest railway, which has complained it was being hurt financially by "creeping re-regulation" of its grain transportation business, dismissed the complaints.

What the CWB is Doing for YOU!!
Based on a 1500 acre farm in the Killarney area

**Possibility of getting LESS than CWB Pro is likely.

**CANOLA price is the same on both sides of the border without CWB control

US price is based on BTR Farmer's Elevator, ND and Bottineau Elevator, ND.  These are all within a 90 mile radius of Killarney.  There are no US subsidies included in these prices.  Grain prices as of January 9, 2008.

Loss of income with CWB marketing: $134,074

"Thank you, CWB, for what YOU think is a "great" job of marketing our grain."  - A Canadian Farmer

Contact Your Local Member of Parliament

March 6, 2008

I want to personally thank you for your support of this government's commitment to bring marketing freedom to western Canadian grain producers.

I have been working hard, alongside Prime Minister Stephen Harper and my Conservative colleagues, to make that commitment a reality.  I am very pleased to inform you that I have introduced legislation in the House of Commons that will allow western barley producers the freedom to market their grain outside of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly.

Producers across the Prairies have been calling for choice, and we are listening.  We are, however, in an uphill battle against an Opposition that would prefer to see western Canadian farmers shackled to the monopoly rather than making their own marketing choices.  Today, I am calling on you to make your voice heard and let the Opposition know that you will not stand by while they continue to obstruct your freedom.

We are at a critical crossroads.  In a time when world grain prices are skyrocketing, it is a shame to watch wheat and barley producers turn to crops outside the hold of the monopoly when they could be taking advantage of a thriving wheat and barley market.

Together, we have a mandate to enact choice for grain producers.  Now is the time to make your voice heard.  It is our goal to bring marketing freedom to the Prairies for barley producers by August 1, 2008.  To do this, the Opposition needs to hear from you today.  Call the Liberal, Bloc and NDP members of Parliament and let them know that you deserve and demand the freedom the rest of Canadian producers take for granted.

Again, thank you for your hard work in helping us bring marketing freedom to Western Canada.

Sincerely,
Gerry Ritz, PC, MP

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF MP TELEPHONE NUMBERS

On Wednesday, March 12, 2008, the ABA was joined by other industry organizations in Washington, D.C., for a “Band of Bakers & Allied Forces March.” This united effort was designed to alert Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Bush Administration to the severity of the crisis and the potentially dire impact on the industry and consumers. To kick off the day, ABA and its allies held a press conference at the National Press Club.  

Over 80 bakers, representing businesses of all different sizes, visited with more than 45 members of Congress, the Secretary of Agriculture and his senior staff, and key White House policy officials to urge immediate action on ABA’s Three Point Plan, including: 

Bakers are hard pressed to manage the extreme volatility of flour prices. “Last year I was paying about $14 for a hundred-pound bag of flour – last week I was quoted $57 for that same bag of flour,” commented Len Amoroso, ABA member and Executive Vice President of Amoroso Baking in Philadelphia, Pa. “This means that I will have to spend $13 to $15 million more this year just on flour…bakers can’t keep up with these increases - we will be forced to make cuts or go under.”

Reuben Gist, Director of Advocacy, Capital Area Food Bank, spoke at the press conference about what this means to consumers. “A loaf of bread now costs the same as a gallon of gas. People are having to make hard decisions on the basics, including transportation, health care, childcare and housing.

The result is that more of the working poor are turning to food banks, such as ours, for their basic food needs.”

Bakers and other wheat users are also very concerned over the historically low stocks, with the industry currently operating with less than a one-month supply. “ABA is asking USDA to review export policies in light of these historically low domestic wheat stocks,” said Mr. MacKie. “While we are not calling for an export moratorium, USDA has a responsibility to review its policies in light of the new commodity paradigm.”

“While there is no ‘silver bullet’ fix for the current commodity crisis, ABA strongly believes that steps can be taken to help stabilize commodity markets, give wheat users increased confidence about supply availability, and importantly, provide some relief for consumer concerns about escalating food prices,” commented David Brown, ABA Commodity Task Force Chairman and Vice President of Procurement for Sara Lee Corporation.

ABA was joined by a number of industry groups in its Band of Bakers and Allied Forces March on Washington, D.C. Members of the Independent Bakers Association, Retail Bakers of America, Snack Food Association and BEMA lent their voices to this critically-important effort. “We recognize that the drastic increase in commodity prices not only affects our baker members, but all commodity users. We greatly appreciate these allied groups’ support and participation in today’s meetings,” said Mr. MacKie. 
 
“While the March was a success, I cannot stress enough the importance of our continued efforts to put pressure on policymakers in Washington to act now,” said ABA Chairman Ron Turano, President, Turano Baking Company. “All bakers should continue making calls, writing letters and visiting their members of Congress, to support the ABA Three Point Plan.”

Marketing Choice Meetings

Over 300 farmers, representing three provinces, gathered in Weyburn on March 6, 2008.  The movie "Against The Grain" ran first and the room was in silence during the whole time.

Farmers were then given the opportunity to speak and gave their opinions as to what action should be next. Most were concerned whether the Government Barley Bill will happen before the new crop year.

Farm groups are turning their attention from the courts back to the Commons on the issue of Prairie barley marketing.

In news releases Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board and Western Barley Growers Association reacted briefly to Tuesday's court ruling against the federal government's plans to deregulate barley marketing by order-in-council, and focused on Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz's plan to attempt the same outcome by legislation. 

WBGA president Jeff Nielsen of Olds, Alta., urged the minority Conservative government to introduce legislative reforms "immediately" and urged Prairie barley growers to show support for reform by rallying Friday (Feb. 29) at the steps of the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina at 12:30 p.m.

"Going to legislative reforms, and introducing them as soon as possible, is a priority, as we need to see these changes done in time for the new crop year Aug. 1," WBGA vice-president Tom Hewson of Langbank, Sask., said in the same release.

"We need the support of the opposition parties to acknowledge the fact that without the ability to see dramatic growth in barley now, we do risk serious economic harm to all of Canada."

Ritz recently said he would introduce such legislation by the end of this month. However, he added, the CWB "has sufficiently stalled things long enough" and will "survive" until after the next federal election when, he predicted, the Conservatives come back with a majority. Then, he said, "all bets are off."

Survival for a Conservative bill to remove barley from the CWB's marketing jurisdiction is seen as unlikely at best in the current minority Commons.  Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale told reporter Allan Dawson in Thursday's Manitoba Co-operator that the party couldn't support any bill that essentially calls for "evisceration" of the CWB or violation of farmers' control of the board.

The NDP also opposes such legislation and the Bloc Quebecois, which backs supply management in other farm commodities, has also expressed opposition.

Removing Prairie barley from the CWB's single marketing desk would allow it to become a "crop of choice," rather than one of last resort and low return -- and more barley production would in turn encourage value-added development, Nielsen said.

"Without growth in the Canadian barley sector, we will see economic losses to those value-added sectors that rely on what once was our supply of top-quality barley for their needs, namely our maltsters and brewers; and, without a constant quality supply of feed barley, shackle our already struggling livestock feeding sector," he said.

"Back in Court"
Meanwhile, the Friends of the CWB -- the group that first launched the Federal Court challenge of the federal government's June 2007 order-in-council for an open barley market, leading to Ottawa's unsuccessful appeal Tuesday -- warned Ritz in a separate release that an attempt to legislate Prairie barley deregulation would wind up "back in court."

The group said any legislative amendments to the Canadian Wheat Board Act would first require consultation with the CWB's board of directors and a producer vote in favour of excluding barley from the CWB's single desk.

February 27, 2008 -- Members of the Western Barley Growers Association are greatly disappointed that yesterday in Winnipeg the Court of Appeal denied overturning last summer's lower court ruling which rejected barley freedom on August 1.  WBGA members also saw the Court of Appeal deny its intervention arguments on a constitutional challenge of the CWB Act.  WBGA would like to thank the ten barley producers that allowed their names to stand in our efforts for intervention.

"Today's ruling does nothing to promote and grow barley production in western Canada," says Jeff Nielsen, President WBGA.  "Our Canadian malting industry is in a serious position.  It cannot attract barley acres to fulfill its needs unless they are able to show true market signals and price transparency.  Without removing barley from the CWB's monopoly completely, we will see fewer acres seeded to barley, and less malt barley production.  I call upon Canadian Agriculture Minister Ritz, and our Government of Canada to introduce legislative reforms immediately."

"Removing barley through legislation now, will allow barley itself to be a crop of choice, providing solid net returns to producers; not one seeded as a commodity of last resort and low return.  This will allow more growth in malt production Canada, growth in jobs in Canada, and growth in barley research and development in Canada.  This growth in barley, once it is completely removed from the CWB Act, will be a catalyst towards building strong economic returns right from the producer in western Canada to the brewery worker in Montreal.  Without growth in the Canadian barley sector, we will see economic losses to those value added sectors that rely on, what once was our supply of top quality barley for their needs, namely our maltsters and brewers; and without a constant quality supply of feed barley, shackle our already struggling livestock feeding sector.  Saying that, I encourage those that have fought hard against barley freedom, to work with us now in promoting the necessary legislative reforms," concludes Nielsen.

"Going to legislative reforms, and introducing them as soon as possible, is a priority, as we need to see these changes done in time for the new crop year August 1," states Tom Hewson, WBGA Vice President.  "We need the support of the opposition parties to acknowledge the fact that without the ability to see dramatic growth in barley now, we do risk serious economic harm to all of Canada."

"Barley farmers have spoken, we want barley freedom, freedom where we can market our own barley, just as we do our canola, pulses, flax and oats," comments Doug McBain, WBGA Past President.  "How can members of the Opposition parties deny my personal rights to sell my own barley?"

Click here for the decision from the Alberta Surface Rights Board decision 2008/0016.

It seems that in Alberta we have one set of rules that govern Big Business and another set of rules that govern the peasants that occupy the land base of this province.

No doubt big oil will be prepared to spend millions of $ to appeal this $20.00 ruling by the Surface Rights Board, as is testified to by numerous decisions currently being appealed and funded by the obscene profits being pocketed by these companies.  This fact speaks volumes about the rape and pillage that the petroleum industry continues to  force upon the rural land base of Alberta.

We have an opportunity in the next 3 weeks to extract from the politicians, a commitment on what they are prepared to do regarding Annual Compensation on Pipelines.  They have failed to clarify the Land Agents Licensing Act, for three years in a row. This law now requires us to hire only Licensed Petroleum Land Agents to assist with negotiations.  Instead this government continues to steadfastly hide  behind the court system.  Maybe the time has come for the good people of rural Alberta request them to stand up and do what's right for once.  Empty promises do not cut the Mustard!

I suggest to everyone that they read a book entitled Stupid To The Last Drop by William Marsden. I do not really like the title because I like to try and keep my thinking balanced but the historical accounting is extremely interesting and as you get into chapters 5 and 6 discussions of the National Petroleum Council that advises the US government shows the incredible task ahead of CAPLA.

The president of Enbridge Pipelines, TransCanada Corporation and EnCana are on this council. I guess I want people to understand the influences we are up against and the thinking of North American government and the effort that will be used against CAPLA as we try to protect landowners in the future.

We need to protect our safety, our environment, our land, our farms and our families. We are not against this industry but we need to stand up and protect ourselves as this industry and North American governments try to infringe their responsibilities onto our shoulders.

I guess I want to start talking about CAPLA goals in the future and where I see our interests best directed to get our issues addressed. We also need to understand that we are up against the biggest lobby group in the world and the only way we can influence in the future is on 2 fronts..... we need to get all landowners and the public on side and then secondly considering the lobby we are up against we need substantial funds to support court actions. How are we going to do this?????????

CAPLA will continue to participate in the NEB processes but with no funding for our participation in their new Land Matters Consultation Initiative, they have basically put us in the arena, but with our hands tied and duct tape on any real influence. We have no choice but to go through the motions, but at the same time we must continue to take the actions that we know work. That is organizing, spreading the word about our issues, interventions, speaking at meetings, using the present Board processes in ways they haven't been used in the past, and fund raising for court and constitutional challenges.

As farmers and landowners we have no choice but to protect our land and to be treated fairly. It is about fair compensation, environmental protection, our safety and protection of our rights and in particular our right to farm.

January 30, 2008 -- The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today announced the appointment of Ian White as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Mr. White has been appointed for a three-year term starting March 31, 2008.

“I am pleased that Mr. White has accepted the appointment of President and CEO of the CWB,” said Minister Ritz. “With the strong support both this Government and the CWB have given Mr. White, I trust both will give him the freedom and the tools he will require to work in the interests of Western Canadian producers." 

Mr. White’s appointment is fully supported by both the Government of Canada and the Canadian Wheat Board.

"The CWB, in conjunction with the government, engaged in a rigorous process and extensive search to find the best candidate for the position, and we are confident that Mr. White, with his comprehensive background and experience, will provide strong leadership to the corporation," said Ken Ritter, Chair of the Search Committee and the CWB Board of Directors.

Mr. White will provide strong leadership as the CWB faces a number of challenging issues, including farmers’ desire for change.

A biographical note for Mr. White is attached.

Biographical Note – Ian H. White

Ian White has extensive professional experience at a senior executive level in the agribusiness industry in Australia, Canada and the United States.

Mr. White has an in-depth understanding of agribusiness with wide-ranging experience in both international and domestic commodity marketing, customer relationships, and grower relations, in both statutory and non-statutory marketing environments in Australia, and North America.

Mr. White has served as a senior executive at a number of agribusiness companies in Canada, the United States and Australia, including Queensland Cotton Limited, Defiance Mills Limited, Grainco Limited, AgPro Grain (a subsidiary of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool) and Elders Grain. Most recently, Mr. White has occupied the position of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Sugar Limited, a multi-billion dollar industry-owned marketing company.

January 24, 2008 -- The Canadian government is expected to name Ian White, currently chief executive of Australia's Queensland Sugar Ltd, as the new CEO of the Canadian Wheat Board, one of the world's largest grain exporters, the Western Producer newspaper reported in its January 24 issue.  

White, described as a strong advocate for trade liberalization by the newspaper, was chosen from three candidates by a CWB-government committee, and accepted by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, the newspaper said. 

Ritz was expected to take the recommendation to federal cabinet soon for formal approval, the article said.

January 17, 2008 -- "Today's call by Minister Ritz to invite CWB Chairman Ken Ritter and CEO Greg Arason to Ottawa to sit down and come to a resolution with barley farmers, our industry partners and themselves is a giant step forward in this current impasse" says Jeff Nielsen president of the Western Barley Growers Association (WBGA).

"Clearly our government is listening to producers and the need to move barley forward to which we make the decisions on who, what, where and when we can sell our own barley.  The CashPlus malt barley program recently announced by the CWB did not fulfill the needs of the producers, our malters or even our grain trade," continues Nielsen.  "We cannot wait any longer for a solution to this refusal of the CWB to do what farmers voted for and what even their own internal surveys have shown is needed."

Both Alberta and Saskatchewan account for 85% + of the total barley production in western Canada and 90% of the malt barley selected.  Both Alberta and Saskatchewan governments along with the government of British Columbia support the call for barley producers to be able to market their barley how ever they choose.

Alberta alone has over a million acres of high quality barley that the CWB can not attract as these producers do not have permit books.  This has frustrated not only our domestic malsters but our grain trade