A national business lobby group says a survey of prairie farmers shows most want the right to sell wheat and barley outside the Canadian Wheat Board.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says 86 percent of 430 agri-business members surveyed want the board to bring in a “producer direct marketing” program similar to one offered to Ontario wheat growers.
“These results indicate an overwhelming desire by producers for more open market and flexible option for on-board grains,” said Rob Meijer, the federation’s agri-policy analyst.
But a CWB spokesperson says a survey involving 430 members of one organization is not an accurate barometer of farmer opinion.
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“We’re talking about less than one-half of one percent of prairie farmers, at most,” said Justin Kohlman. “To decide from that that farmers want dual marketing even if it means risking the Canadian Wheat Board is a bit of a stretch.”
The board has conducted its own internal surveys of farmers attitudes on grain marketing, but the results have not been made public.
Kohlman said the best gauges of farmer opinion were the 1998 CWB director elections in which eight of 10 successful candidates supported the board’s monopoly, and the 1997 pleb-iscite of barley growers in which 63 percent favored the single desk.
The CFIB mailed its survey to 2,500 of its agri-business members across the Prairies in June and July. About 430 replied.
Meijer said about 75 percent of its agri-business members are primary producers engaged in growing grain and raising livestock, while the rest run businesses that supply services to farmers.
He described the CFIB’s members as “typical producers”, but acknowledged that many are “very entrepreneurial” and strong supporters of an open market for grain.
Kohlman said any time an organization with a particular policy position surveys its own members, it’s unwise to extrapolate the results to the general population.
The CFIB survey showed 91 percent of respondents in Alberta, 87 percent in Saskatchewan and 79 percent in Manitoba like the program being offered in Ontario.
The Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board’s direct marketing program allows growers in the province to sell up to 150,000 tonnes of wheat outside the pooling system. That represents about 10 percent of the Ontario wheat crop. Ontario farmers had to decide before harvest (June 30) whether they would be in or out of the pool for that marketing year.
Meijer commended the board for bringing in new payment options for farmers this year, but said more flexibility is needed. And he said that with CWB director elections coming up this fall, it’s important candidates know what farmers want.
Results of the survey have been forwarded to the wheat board, prairie agriculture ministers and federal government ministers involved in western agriculture.
Meijer said the federation has requested a meeting with the CWB to discuss the merits of an Ontario-style program. Kohlman said the board of directors is ready to look at any marketing or pricing options that might benefit farmers.
