It is about time ? producer directed market development for wheat and barley

notafarmer

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Siemens Says ? When the federal government pulled the plug on the monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board in November, and the judge dismissed the case of the people who are still clinging to the past, it left a whole bunch of things wide-open. Not to mention, who would take up the cause of the underdeveloped wheat product? There are those that still think the CWB was the be-all and end-all as it pertains to wheat as a variety, a commodity, and to some almost as a way of life. Yet, the monopoly stifled many things that may well have made wheat into what many thought it was, the king of western Canadian agriculture. There is room for a whole lot growth, development, improvement and plain old-fashion slug work to make that happen.
That is why the article by Kelvin Hoeppner, Pembina Valley Online caught my attention indicating people are working on creating a provincial association to represent wheat and barley growers.
Wow, that is something I?ve recommended since the talk of removing monopoly became a doable thing under a majority conservative government.
The article says the steering committee for this organization held its first meeting recently indicating with the CWB monopoly gone, this provincial organization will handle checkoffs, and funding of market development and research initiatives for wheat and barley.
Wow number 2?.That is what a provincial body like this should have been doing, but couldn?t see the light of day with the monopoly around, in fact if anyone breathed it, heaven forbid.

?Yes, we support this approach,? says Blair Rutter, executive director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers. ?The Wheat Growers will still be there to advocate right-wing farm policy. This is to focus on market development, market access and research.?
That is what I wanted to hear when I asked him the question that generated that answer.

The president of KAP, Doug Chorney says the association will have a similar mandate to the wheat commission, newly developed in Alberta.

Read more at http://www.siemenssays.com/blog/7723.html#more-7723
 
 
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