Barley growers are urging the Alberta government to institute its voluntary wheat marketing legislation by June, rather than a year from now.
Bill 207 was passed in December and calls for a 10-year test market where Alberta could freely move wheat and barley.
Moving the pilot ahead would coincide with a move by the Ontario wheat producers marketing board to allow its farmers as of June to sell any amount of wheat they choose to their board or privately.
“I think the commitment is greater than ever,” said Albert Wagner, past-president of the Western Barley Growers Association.
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“There’s a need to create fairness as a Canadian and secondly we have this whole issue of how do we expand agriculture production and the value of agriculture?”
Wagner’s group believes more value adding could be achieved if farmers have wider market choices.
The provincial government wants to increase agricultural production and value-added income by 2010. It has stated that wheat board policies inhibit expansion.
The association also passed a resolution to allow malting barley growers to contract outside the wheat board pooling system and negotiate their own prices, volume and quality to be delivered.
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Farmer Alana Hermanson said there is a growing preference for two-row feed barley varieties among plant breeders and producers.
There is not enough price difference between feed and malting barley to grow dual purpose varieties or straight malt types.
“We’re leaning more toward providing the Prairies with barley for our main industry, which is the feed industry,” she said.
Further, many farmers have their samples rejected and so have made the switch to a feed type.
