Wheat Growers moving forward

notafarmer

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by Harry Siemens
Siemens Says ? The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association held it?s 42 annual convention in Moose Jaw, Sk last week, the largest attendance ever, 217 people, except for Mexico a number of years ago. While that one had attractions other than farming, this one had attractions of historic proportions because of the excitement and celebrations of finally gaining marketing freedom for western Canadian wheat, durum and malt barley growers.
I remember the days of the Palliser Wheat Growers, started by founding president Wally Nelson, together with 11 others, all called the dirty dozen because they had met in secret, under cover as Nelson told me, in Drinkwater, Sk, in a place where no one would suspect meetings were carrying on. Fourteen such meetings, undercover until finally they had enough information giving them the courage to step out, to start asking, working feverishly, and fighting for the right to market their wheat, barley, and durum wheat.

Heaven forbid that anyone would speak against the Canadian Wheat Board, considered almost sacrilegious at the time, and still prevalent in some circles today.

There was excitement from Ag Minister Gerry Ritz getting a standing ovation on Thursday morning to Curt Vossen, president of Richardson International, a truly Canadian company who, including Vossen a Saskatchewan farm boy, had never been able to market these crops to anyone in the world before, ever, he told me. A company with deep routes in Canada, 154 years old, and never yet been able to market wheat, malt barley and durum around the world. Now finally they can start the process.

More at http://www.siemenssays.com/blog/7200.html#more-7200
 
 
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