CWB Director Meeting

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

I went to District 1 at Ft. Saskatechewan, AB. and Art Macklin's meeting went much the same way.

On elevator closures, CWB by pushing the car allocation issue, is causing many older elevators to close as the grain co's are not willing to have the CWB dictate where cars are going, so they close all the elevators they cannot afford to operate efficiently.

Art did not agree of course.

Organic was a topic, and Art didn't understand it well.

Trade costs for the US challenge were singled out as the federal government's cost and not the CWB's.

The media indicating that CWB interm and final payments were gov. payments was brought up, and I indicated that with the NAFTA rulings that the initial payment was the CWB's actual purchase cost and that anything above this being paid to us as a profit of the federal gov. and CWB, it is little wonder US growers and the Media say it like they do.

Buy-backs came up of course, and the US saying the CWB is undercutting, was an issue.

I indicated that buy-backs that pay producers to ship to the US were causing undercutting.

Art said this was wrong.

The CWB Rep from Lethbridge went and got some buy-back figures and indicated that I was right, the PRO was $11/t above the buy-back yesterday which proved my point.

Feed Barley Pricing and Pooling was a big issue, and Art went on a long diatribe why the CWB could not shorten pooling periods that made no sense.

Lots of unrest underneath, but few were willing to say much, they left it to us vocal guys!

Hope Art realizes that the CWB is at a crossroads, shape up, or be shipped out.

[parsley]

A CWB Supper Meeting was held last night in Neudorf, Saskatchewan. Elected Director Michael Halyk hosted approximately 125 producers in his district # 7 for supper.

There were questions about durum marketing and were some really dissatisfied farmers with the durum contracts

Questions about the transportation issue.....particularly about the tendering. One producer asked about the transportation costs.

Administration costs were discussed too. Halyk explained that there were a number of people who retired from the CWB and these handshakes accounted for some of the extra administration costs.

The fellow who gave me an account of the goings on in Neudorf said their seemed to be lots of "quiet disenchantment" with the CWB, but that a lot of producers are really hesitent and "even frightened to speak". It's tough times on the farm.

A group of organic producers were there, and organic producer William Rees really pinned down Director Halyk. He accused the CWB of offerring false information to organic farmers for 8 years. Halyk said little Rees said that using the CWB's own figures, there are 800 organic wheat and barley growers; however, 569 of those producers, or over 70%, say they do not want the CWB marketing their grain. He also reminded Halyk of Professor Richard Gray's Report/1995 recommendation, "The removal of organic products from the jurisdiction of the CWB cannot take place until national minimum standards are in place." is past due because national standards are in place. The farmer who attended the meeting thought the CWB had to come up with something better because the organic farmers had some really damning facts and figures.

Rees asked if Halyk would personally support a recommendation that would urge the CWB to grant free export permits to organic producers. When Halyk responded that yes he would support that recommendation at the Board table, the audience of 125, composed of mostly conventional farmers and 4 organic farmers, burst into applause. The farmer-reporter was surprised because it indicated that conventional producers overwhelmingly supported the organic producers' request for no-cost export licenses..

Bill Cooper, a well-respected conventional producer t in Saskatchewan, said that he would be communicating Halyk's positive organic-response to the farm community. Some of the farmers were saying that the CWB will need to revisit the CWB's organic policy.

That's about all the report I got... as best as it was described to me. No fist fights, hangings or stabbings.

Parsley