An association of organic farmers in Saskatchewan wants to keep selling its wheat and barley through the Canadian Wheat Board.
About 30 farmers who attended the recent annual meeting of the Canadian Registered Organic Products Marketing Co-operative Ltd. in Swift Current, Sask. issued a press release saying they want the board to market all their grain, including organic production.
“We know that the CWB can provide the best market returns for organic grains for our members throughout Saskatchewan,” co-op president Walter Nisbet said in the release.
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The board’s role in the organic market came under scrutiny with last summer’s report of the Western Grain Marketing Panel. The panel recommended organic wheat be exempted from board jurisdiction and sold through an identity-preserved system supervised by the Canadian Grain Commission.
Reaction to the recommendation, eventually rejected by federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale, underscored the division of opinion among organic producers over how best to market their product.
Some say the board does little to promote the sale of organic grain to overseas customers, and buy-back rules prevent accurate price signals from reaching producers.
Market intelligence
Others say because the industry is small, price discovery is difficult and the board’s buy-back system allows producers to charge a specific premium over non-organic grains. The board also provides valuable market intelligence through its sales missions abroad, they say.
Nisbet said using the buy-back system is “a little awkward” at times, but that’s outweighed by the security and marketing ability provided by the board, compared with the uncertainty that sometimes comes with selling through private grain brokers.
Earl Geddes, a CWB official who deals with organic grain issues, said the agency is looking at ways to improve the marketing system as demand for organic grains grows from both domestic millers and overseas customers.
“We’re now meeting with growers to see if we can streamline the process,” he said.
