My hip is hurting because my Blackberry has been buzzing so much with all the synchronized news releases coming from the anti-CWB movement today.
It’s like I’ve got a bee on my hip here.
10:41 a.m.: News release from the Grain Growers of Canada: “Grain Growers of Canada believe the British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan Agriculture Ministers are on the right track by recognizing and supporting the legitimate right of the Federal Government to bring marketing choice to Prairie farmers.”
11:18 a.m.: Press release from Alberta Barley Commission: “The federal government announced today it has received support from the Agriculture Ministers  of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan in eliminating the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on selling and marketing grain. ‘The Commission supports the ag ministers’ stance that farmers have the right to determine how to market their own grain,’ said Mike Leslie, Commission CEO.”
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11:21 a.m.: Press release from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business: “The Canadian Federation of Independent Business welcomes the Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia government’s support for marketing change at the Canadian Wheat Board.”
That’s a well-launched broadside, I have to say, as a fan of naval history. The news releases are flying out of the barrel like a shell of high explosive from the HMS Duke of York towards the Scharnhorst. Somebody’s doing a good job of getting their side of the endless wheat board debate out there. It doesn’t look to me like the same person is writing all these releases and handing them off to the various groups to autograph and email out, because they are listing the provinces in different orders and seem customized, like the groups actually wrote them. And maybe they did. Regardless, someone did a good job of planning and timing this Friday morning broadside.
But it makes me think once more about how sad it is that this issue, which should be a grown-up business issue debated on the basis of good analysis by business-minded farmers, seems to have become just a plaything of the political left and right. All the partisan political blather about “choice,” “farmer’s right to decide,” “freedom,” etc. etc. etc – terms used by both sides to justify their ideological positions – seems to be out of place in what should be deadly serious, non-ideological consideration of whether or not the CWB actually gets farmers a premium for their grain, and whether that premium is big enough to justify the system’s interference with farmer marketing of grains and other crops.
But that kind of a cool, analytical discussion of the issue stopped occurring years ago. Which, methinks, is why most farmers have turned away from this debate. Some people like caustic, combative politics. Most don’t. Some farmers will love or loathe today’s update to the CWB yakfest, but most will just keep busy farming, simply accepting that the decision has been made and that they’ll be dealing with a different system next year.
