LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – There was one thing everyone at the first grain marketing town hall meeting agreed on: There is no consensus on how to improve the system.
About 100 people gathered in Lethbridge Jan. 8 for the first of 15 workshops. They broke into groups to discuss the grain marketing system and their thoughts on its future shape.
“It’s not likely we’ll have true consensus,” said John Pierson, Alberta Wheat Pool vice-president and one of nine panel members leading the sessions.
One farmer warned of information overload from the series of meetings set up by the federal government.
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“I would warn the panel that the danger here is that you could get lost on all the different roads that you are chasing. One of the most important questions you have to answer before anything can change is who holds the power and who is accountable.”
Accountability of the Canadian Wheat Board to prairie farmers, who use the single-desk seller to market their grain, was one of the main points raised.
Several groups suggested board commissioners should be elected. The wheat board advisory council, which is elected, should have its power expanded, some said.
Bob Hulit of Coutts, Alta., who farms on the U.S. border, favors a dual marketing system for the future.
His main concern is that federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale won’t see the raw comments from farmers. A sanitized report written by the panel will not tell the minister what farmers are truly thinking, he said.
Thoughts on the future
Other areas targeted for change:
- Future market flexibility that would include a dual market for wheat and barley.
- A better transportation system that has fewer disruptions due to labor disputes.
- Freight rates in the future should be either paid by the buyer of the grain or capped by legislation.
- Value-added industry on the prairies should be encouraged by allowing producers to sell their grain directly to food processors.
But farmers also said the board has some good points, including guaranteed payment for grain sold, marketing expertise and ability to gather and sell large amounts of grain into the world market.
