Ballots on the Table

[Farmer2015]

Ok the wheat and barley election ballots are sitting on my table.

On the Barley front things have been quiet - got my ballot and the bios and I picked.

Then comes the Wheat ballot, who do we pick - I got a demon dialed call telling me to join the Team Wheat conference call which I then became 1 of 1,200 people attending so they said. My thought is what the h@$# is the cost for all this and where is it coming from how did they get my phone number and who's pocket are they sitting in? And will they be wasting my levy money like that too?

Maybe we should be voting for the people who are running independently who actually farm and understand our concerns?

[farmaholic]

Yeah! Like Gerry Ritz!

[BreadWinner]

I asked for my checkoff money back, Im sure glad after seeing the same CWB lovers running for these positions.

[foragefarmer]

Yup, I ask for every penny back from the Alberta Barley Commission every year!!

[foragefarmer]

Breadwinner haven't heard much from you since the election, everything ok in your world?

[iceman]

Love when you talk to the office staff about getting the refund back they act like you just drove over their dog. Hey its my money

Over & Out

[BreadWinner]

Forage all is good so far, ill be watching those libs like a hawk. Been too busy to check in too much. I went up to Churchill and was able to tour the grain port last week. That is one huge facility that was built with concrete and a wheel barrow. Only six boats were loaded out of there this summer.... I sure hope it finds a new company to ship from our northern shores.

[Hopalong]

Was on Churchill tour a few years ago.
Wonder if there is any agreement on what climate change might have on viability of port and railway.

[saskcanfarmer]

i thought the call was kind of a neat way to reach out to a whole pile of farmers at one time. But of course I don't know the cost!

The what side is interesting to say the least. Laura Reiter is a very good candidate, good credentials etc, but she was part of a board that really showed is no value at all. Tough to vote for her but tough not too! Dan Danielson does NOT farm so he should be out in my mind. Rick Lindsey is a progressive open market farmer who obviously has some knowledge of rail grain movement. Best candidate in my mind! I have actually talked to Scott Sefton personally and he definitely has his head on straight. We need some youth injection into Ag leadership and I think he would be a heck of a choice if we were to get his foot in the door. Rosher is an organic farmer. Doesn't represent 99% of farmers voice IMO. So my last vote comes down to Scott Hepworth or Gene Lahey. Honestly don't know much about them and Laura Reiter. Maybe she will have a stronger voice if we have a bird that is moving forward and not full of a bunch of backwards thinking CWB NFU lovers.

Barley side isn't quite as interesting. You have team barley against the CWBA/NFU to essentially. Zenneth Faye is obviously a no brainer to vote for in any Ag election he chooses! If you want the NFU to represent barley growers then vote for Goef, Howse and Ferre if not then vote for teambarley Fransoo, Sprout and Faye.

I have voted but I want to see progress. The first couple years I understand they needed to get their feet on the ground etc but now it's time to show results or mine and a lot of other check off dollars will be gone!

[pmJustin]

Farmers need to get by petty politics here and work together to have these commissions working for all FARMERS! So don't ask for refunds but vote for your voice. I don't like the idea of some running in teams reminds me to much of politics! Although it looks like a couple of Scott's are young farmers. Danielson is not a farmer say good bye. Lindsey and Reiter are excellent choices with good back grounds and need to be elected. Rosher is organic so if that's your thing fine.

If any candidate has a NFU or Wheat Grower slant to them say good bye. We need to bury these old CWB battles and move forward.

[farmaholic]

Yeah! Like Gerry Ritz!

[BreadWinner]

pmjustin you loose all credability with a name like that, but ill get to the point. The last AGM that was held in western Canada for this groups was many years ago...now we fly them to exotic places to plan how to spend my checkoff money. These groups now are filled with people that are slopping at the trough like a bunch of pigs after the table scraps. I will not give my hard earned dollars for these guys to slap me in the face with thing like UPOV91. These checkoffs have become a form of tax that very rarely helps the farmer any more. You go ahead and give your money away and Ill keep mine.

[Robertbarlage]

How do u go about getting these checkoffs back?

[Koldkanuck]

I don't see one person I would vote for, so I also need to know....where do I phone or write for my check off money?

[stonepicker]

C'mon farmoholic, even if the only thing ritz did was git rid of the ---. I give him a lot of credit. tough job to do but he did it! And i thank him for that! Free at last! And no the evil grain co's don't have me in their back pocket.