THE Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association stayed true to its free market philosophy to the end. The farm lobby group, a strong advocate for allowing market forces to dictate the course of agriculture, closed its doors last week citing low membership.
Founded in 1970, the organization’s efforts on numerous occasions either directly brought about or helped bring about concrete change on key agricultural issues. It had become a strong voice from the right end of the political spectrum, speaking out against over-regulation, government interference and the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly on export sales of western-grown wheat and barley.
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At its peak, the WCWGA claimed about 10,000 members. Recently, that number has fallen to just under 1,000.
According to the WCWGA executive, the final straw came shortly after the organization’s annual meeting in March, in which it set out reforms designed to get the group in closer touch with grassroots farmers.
But its new initiatives would never see the light of day. A membership renewal drive after that meeting saw only 30-some memberships renewed out of more than 700 notices sent out.
It became apparent to the executive that the free market had decided there was little desire to keep the organization running.
There are several possible explanations for the WCWGA’s decline. Perhaps there are too many farm groups around today. Farmers pay check-off fees to various commodity groups every time they make a sale or delivery. Many farmers might believe a broader scope group to be unnecessary.
Maybe the organization was too free market for its own good, sometimes placing it odds with what appeared to be popular farmer opinion. For example, when the CWB sued the two national railways for poor service in 1999, the WCWGA sided with the railways even though a CWB win would mean millions of dollars for farmers. The group believed CN and CP Rail should be able to operate in a less regulated environment.
The organization also took heat for a convention at a Mexican resort in 2000 at a time when prairie farmers were asking Ottawa for $1 billion in aid to help cope with low grain prices.
Or maybe the WCWGA was a victim of its own success. Changes at the CWB, which may have been partly brought about by pressure from the wheat growers, now allow farmers more flexibility in pricing their grain and provide for farmer-elected directors. That may have taken some of the heat off the CWB, a main target of WCWGA criticism.
Whatever the cause of its downfall, the WCWGA will be missed. It was an influential force in policy making and represented an important segment of the farming population. We wonder who will now supply intellectual debate from the political right.
