I have been a subscriber toThe Western Producerfor several years. I find it very interesting and informative on almost every subject except the one I am most interested in – the Canadian Wheat Board.
There are praises and complaints galore, but no actual articles about how it works. Three years ago we made a trip to Canada to see if talking to Canadians about how the board works would help, but learned nothing.
I have learned this. If the board is as good as its supporters say, Canadians would be rich and U.S. farmers would be broke. As I’ve farmed since 1949, I doubt if that is the case. As far as I can tell from readingThe Western Producer,a farmer has to take his grain where the board can get hold of it, and he gets whatever the board decides.
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I used to haul grain to the Port of Lewiston. Some Canadian trucks hauled there, too. They could be easily identified from U.S. trucks as they only had Idaho and Montana licences. The unloading crews were extremely careful about unloading them, as they often had higher moisture content than was allowable in the U.S. As I see it, the Canadian farmer takes his grain to a warehouse, tells the warehouse man he wants to sell it, and hopes he gets all his money before the next crop comes off. The amount he will get is a bit uncertain. I guess.
I hope I haven’t been too critical of the board as I know little about it.
George Thompson,Nezperce, Idaho
