The Western Producer takes a weekly look at some of the stories that made headlines in issues of the paper from 75, 50, 25 and 10 years ago.
75 years ago: March 13, 1941
Wheat policy dominated the front page as Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities delegates asked for a guaranteed minimum wheat price of $1 a bushel, Fort William basis, on the first 2,000 bu. of delivered wheat per farmer.
As well, the Alberta legislature asked for a minimum price of 70 cents a bu., f.o.b. shipping point.
Meanwhile, prairie agriculture ministers were travelling to Ottawa for more talks with the federal government, and trade minister C.D. Howe said he expected to an-nounce a wheat policy soon.
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Saskatchewan Pool Elevators said it had completed arrangements to build an extra 10 million bu. of temporary wheat storage at the Lakehead to accommodate the 1940 crop.
50 years ago: March 10, 1966
The attacks on Canadian Pacific Railway over slow grain shipments spilled over in the House of Commons to include the Board of Transport Commissioners.
“I do not know whether the CPR has ever made a request to the Board of Transport Commissioners which has not been agreed to,” thundered NDP MP David Olio of Winnipeg.
The Manitoba government planned to spend $14.7 million on its agriculture department in the upcoming year, but the opposition wasn’t impressed. It pointed out that agriculture was the only department whose spending estimates were less than the previous year.
25 years ago: March 14, 1991
Canadian Co-operative Implements Ltd. was placed in receivership after incurring a $6.4 million operating loss the previous year. The court appointed receiver said the co-op would continue to operate until its assets were sold. It had been established in 1940.
Manitoba said it might not have any choice but join the new Net Income Stabilization Account program if Saskatchewan continued to be the only province to participate. Finance minister Clayton Manness said it was unacceptable for farmers in one province to receive federal money while farmers in other provinces did not.
10 years ago: March 9, 2006
Saskatchewan organic producers endorsed a plan to establish a commission that would re-direct check-off money from other provincial commodity groups to the sector. However, the plan wasn’t going over well with the other groups. “Creating additional boards and commissions is going to result in inefficiencies and fragmentation,” said Garth Patterson, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.
A trade expert said Canadian farmers shouldn’t expect an open door in Europe for commodities such as canola now that the World Trade Organization had ruled against the European Union’s GMO moratorium.
“Take a Valium. It’s not going to happen in the near future anyway,” said Bill Dymond of Carleton University’s Centre for Trade Policy and Law. He was right.
