CWB questions
I have a few questions and comments for Alex Olson from Spy Hill (Open Forum, June 28).
He criticizes Howard Hillstrom for his ideas and comments, and proceeds to spout his socialist rhetoric as fact, when he does not and cannot provide any proof to verify any of his statements. He says that the Canadian Wheat Board is the best marketing agency in the world. What has he compared it to?
“There has to be rules to prevent price cutting,” he states.
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The CWB is guilty of exactly that. The proof? In the 50 years of CWB control, there has never been one single time that the Canadian farmer has realized more from grain than his American counterpart.
Over the years, in times of short supply, there were a number of times the wheat board has restricted or shut down exports to hold the domestic price down. I cannot find a single instance where the CWB powers were used to prop up the price of grain.
“Present day industry does fine with the CWB rules.”
I suppose the eastern milling and processing industries are doing quite well. The dairy and meat industries are doing just fine, but ask organic producers, ask durum and barley producers who sometimes receive dollars per bushel less than they can get on their own.
“Any farmer can buy his grain at a price the CWB sells it for.”
A most ridiculous statement. If it is his grain, why … should he have to buy it from the CWB?
The avid CWB supporters claim to speak for the majority of farmers. If you consider that all permit book holders are considered producers, and when you take into account the fact that a good many permit book holders are older, retired farmers who are not producers but still own land, the numbers change considerably.
The (National) Farmers’ Union also claims to speak for all farmers. They have 11,000 members. Compare this to the Canadian Pork Council, 12,000 members; Ontario Corn Producers, 21,000; Dairy Farmers of Canada, 21,500; Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, 100,000.
I have a little food for thought for Mr. Olson. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have approximately the same population that they had 60 years ago. They are affected more than anyone by CWB regulations.
Ottawa has used the CWB as an instrument of control over the prairie economy. The farmers who wish to market their own grain are not telling the CWB supporters how to sell their grain. Why do you CWB supporters think you should control how they sell theirs?
– Roger Brandl,
Fort St. John, B.C.
School taxes
In the July 5 edition of your periodical, in an article by Sean Pratt, a high ranking political adviser to the Minister of Education in Saskatchewan named Marv Schultz was quoted as saying that the Saskatoon East School Division had increased its tax levy by $2 million in the 2001 calendar year. He also singled out two neighbouring school divisions. The question that Schultz posed to school boards was: “Can you justify a $2 million increase on your budget?”
Our division did not have a $2 million increase in its budget. The budget increased by $600,000. The tax levy went up by $1.4 million because we received $573,000 less grants from the province of Saskatchewan and $185,000 less other revenue, such as tuition fees, and we had a $600,000 increase in operating expenses largely generated from salary costs and transportation.
We resent the implication in the article that our school board somehow gouged the taxpayers under the cover of reassessment. This is just not true.
I believe that, if he was quoted accurately, Mr. Schultz owes us an apology and he should be much more careful with the data that he provides to media outlets in the future.
– Gerald Yausie,
Board Chair, Saskatoon East Board of Education,
Colonsay, Sask.
Milling capacity
In (Open Forum, July 12), Herb Axten criticized the CWB’s role in value-added wheat and barley processing in Western Canada. As the person responsible for domestic value-added development at the CWB, I must respond to correct some of the misinformation in his letter.
Since free trade, the milling capacity and grind in Canada and exports of wheat and durum products have all increased faster than in the U.S. However, opportunities to build new capacity are not endless, be it milling, pasta processing or ethanol plants.
The existing industry is increasing capacity by expanding existing facilities in the case of the established companies, with some smaller, new mills coming on. A new build takes careful planning and research, combined with location and access to markets.
Kerry Hawkins, President of Cargill Canada, recently said at a Farming for Profit conference in Moose Jaw, that Cargill was not in the pasta business in Saskatchewan because they did not think they could compete in that market with the multinational pasta producers and be profitable. It is also interesting to note that Dakota Growers Pasta in Carrington, North Dakota, one of the newest pasta processing plants in North America, is facing its fifth straight losing quarter.
As far as the CWB is concerned, it’s only value added if it’s profitable. Otherwise, it’s a white elephant, much like the canola crushing plant at Ste. Agathe, Man.
– Andrea Lowther,
Market Development,
Canadian Wheat Board,
Winnipeg, Man.
GM technology
Re: Open Forum, July 5, from the Humboldt and District Marketing Club. So, the bright minds of Humboldt wish to start a class action lawsuit against Percy Schmeiser “for losses we’ve incurred because of his ongoing battle with Monsanto.”
If they really wish to sue someone, why do they not sue Monsanto for giving away GM technology to Canada’s competition?
There’s going to be 100 million acres of GM soybeans in South America in a few years, and Monsanto doesn’t charge those farmers for any technology agreement use. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that those soybeans are wrecking the market for canola oil.
… Farmers should be giving him (Schmeiser) a medal, because if everyone did as he did, Monsanto would give Canadian farmers the same deal as South America.
– Bruce Posch,
Thornloe, Ont.
