Wednesday With White

[d-45]

I would ask Mr. White as CEO of the CWB how he will deal with the ever increasing issue of western canadian farmers who want the freedom to market their grain to the buyer of their choice.

It appears that barley acres will be down for 2008 in western canada even though the world is asking for more production.

The cwb has put together several [ppo's] one being the cashplus barley program that was suppost to meet the needs of the 62% of barley producers who voted for choice.

Obviously the cashplus barley program is not what some farmers want as barley acres are predicted to be down in western canada for 2008.

What will you do as ceo of the cwb to satisfy the wishs of all western canadian farmers?

[stubblejumper]

I would ask Mr. White how he would deal with the 14% of producers who want no part of the CWB.

[Hopperbin]

I would like to ask also about that 14% which today is actually more likely doubled since we voted. With all this land changing hands lately the number of monopoly supporters are also dropping. We cannot deny that one. I alone have just bought out two monopoly supporters this last year.

[rbgordon]

Voted for #2 in Barley vote, if I was voting today it would be for option #3, elimination of the Board altogether, it is much like the Senate in Ottawa, a total waste of time.

[bucket]

I would like to point out to Mr.White that some of the jobs in Winnipeg should be on the line.

If we see a reduction in acres of the board grains and then a increase in prices like last year - that would speak volumes that the brass at the cwb are not representing farmers very well. They are to be working for farmers. I have neighbors who got sold on ethanol wheat for 2 years because the returns didn't look great for milling wheat. I also have neighbors who didn't grow durum for the first time in 20 years because the board hadn't accepted 100% and it didn't work for them. I would say the cwb marketing team let them down.

I also remeber speaking to Ward w. at a combine to customer thing in Edmonton in Jan 07 and I asked him "How are you going to get farmers to grow wheat with high fertilzer prices and horible looking wheat prices?" He assured me they were taking care of it. The whole country could have grown wheat last year and it would not have made a difference to wheat prices. But instead he and the cwb ended up with one of the smallest crops. In my view he didn't give good value to farmers and he should have been fired.

If it happens to barley prices like I think it will the cwb is doing a real disservice to farmers.