new head of CWB

[food4u]

WHY is it I have to find out from an urban newspaper that Mr. Ritter is stepping down and is being replaced by Mr. Hill effective Apr.1.Not a thing about this on the CWB website. One of my greatest peeves with the CWB and this has been comunicated with my area director many times.Very poor PR as far as I am concerned.

[LWeber]

Farmers are on a need to know basis and they didn't need to know.

CONTROLLED by farmers - whoomp there it is...whoomp there it is ...

[SASKFARMER3]

I read it in today's Leader post. Why isn't that news on the CWB site when their is a change at the top.
I guess Ill go back to being a CWB Mushroom.
Always in the Dark and living in Shi-.

[bucket]

Now stewart wells runs the cwb too.

Welcome to farming in the old USSR.

We are doomed.

There was a rumour on a previous thread that Ritter was going to be rewarded by Bill Boyd. Anyone know what's going on???

[parsley]

No reward.

[just_wondering]

gotta love google alerts


Wheat board elects pro-monopoly chair
Hill faces ongoing struggle with Tory government
Roberta Rampton, Reuters
Published: Saturday, March 29, 2008
The farmer-run Canadian Wheat Board has elected Larry Hill as its new chairman after Ken Ritter, who had led the marketing agency since 1999, stepped down this week.

"I know that it's not going to be an easy job, but it's an important thing that the CWB function in the best interest of producers," Hill said in an interview on Friday.

The wheat board, which had $4.95 billion in revenue last year, has been locked in a struggle with the federal government, which wants to end its monopoly on sales of Prairie wheat and barley to millers, maltsters and export markets.


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Font:****Hill, a farmer from Swift Current, Sask., is a strong monopoly supporter and has been on the wheat board's board of directors since 1999.

Ritter, who farms at Kindersley, Sask., became the first chairman when the governance of the 72-year-old wheat board was overhauled to give farmers more control over the agency, one of the world's largest grain marketers. Farmers elect 10 directors to the board. The government appoints five, including the CEO. A narrow majority of elected, pro-monopoly directors now controls the board.

Ritter's term as a director is set to expire this year. He said he stepped down so a new chairman could begin at the same time as the agency's new chief executive, Ian White, who takes the helm on Monday.

"It's a new beginning, a very fundamental change for the organization, and this is as good a time as any to make that exchange" at the board of directors, Ritter told Reuters.

Before he joined the board, Ritter had advocated for a "dual market," where the wheat board would compete for farmers' grain with other buyers. But he changed his mind after joining the board, and became a staunch monopoly supporter, leading the fight against the Conservative government's push to change the agency's mandate.

Ritter said he is optimistic about the wheat board's future if farmers are allowed to continue to control it.

"If it's left in the hands of farmers, I think the board has a bright future. If it's left in the hands of government, who knows -- they have to answer that question," he said.




© The Calgary Herald 2008