The National Citizens Coalition Reform government, under the guise of the Conservative party, says it will give farmers freedom.
In my many years working with farmers and my own farm, I learned very quickly farmers wanted a good price for their grain, wanted to deliver it to an elevator and get paid, and have a fair share of the market.
This has not been the case with many companies and brokers that have set up to buy peas, lentils, chickpeas, canola and other crops.
Farmers, in good faith, delivered their special crops to these places and thought they were under contract with little or no money down, only to later find out these places were bankrupt and so these farmers lost thousands of dollars.
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Many of these companies had no or very little bond or protection for farmers as grain companies were required to have.
Believe it or not, the western wheat growers who seemed to have had their ear were lobbying to have the bonding requirements eliminated altogether so more of these outfits could start up.
I was even asked, because I was elected by farmers to the advisory committee of the CWB, if I could put pressure somewhere to get compensation for those that had lost lots of money.
I was under the impression a contract was binding both for the seller of grain and the buyer.
If this is the freedom they are talking about and could be applied to wheat and barley, farmers had better wake up.
When you deliver to a grain company and the CWB is your sales agent, you get at least two-thirds to three-quarters payment, with the balance when the pool is closed and you get your fair share of the market.
Avery Sahl,Mossbank, Sask.
