This is a response to remarks by David Anderson, MP, Cypress Hills- Grasslands, titled Farmers’ choice (Open Forum, Oct. 14.)
Mr. Anderson criticizes the CWB for their lack of durum wheat sales during the last couple of years. There are a few facts which he fails to mention.
Production of durum is for a limited market. A bumper crop in one year can result in surplus production, reducing prices.…
Instead of blaming the CWB for lack of durum sales and low prices, it should be blamed on U.S. subsidies and farmer overproduction.
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In the average year, less than 50 percent of the malt barley we produce is actually sold as malt. If dual marketing of malt barley became the norm, wouldn’t the elevator and malt companies be able to force farmers to sell their malt barley on the open markets by accepting all open marketed barley before accepting any CWB marketed barley?
Mr. Anderson comments that “they (farmers) should be able to choose who they sell their grain to and when, and for the price they choose.”
In the open marketing system the grain prices, contract conditions, deliveries, etc., are all set by everyone else except the farmer. The only choice a farmer has is whether or not he will accept the buyer’s terms.
That’s not freedom. These facts have already been proven with our open marketed crops. Both CWB and open marketing of the same crops will result in lower farm prices because farmers will be competing with each other for markets in which there is a surplus production by farmers most years.
The greed, pride, overproduction of crops and lack of co-operation among farmers will eventually end in farmers’ own defeat!
Fred G. Willis, Saltcoats, Sask.
