CWB survey demographics

[haveapulse]

30% under 640 acres
34% 640 to 2500 acres
(64% of those surveyed under 2500 acres)
36% over 2500 acres

Using the 20/80 rule farms over 2500 acres likely produce 80% of the grain.


9% of respondents under 45 said the CWB did an excellent job of marketing wheat. Wanna bet that the farmers under 45 are the future of farm and may have some interest to the BOD of the CWB... eventually.

66% of respondents were over 45.

And finally the majority of farmers 53% support a dual market or a openmarket, no age demographics of this question were segregrated (small wonder!).


One has to assume the survey was intended to assist the BOD and the Minister with statistics intended to better operate the company, and not just as their press release seems to suggest otherwise.

Otherwise why spend our money.

[haveapulse]

The task of the BOD is to determine relevance of the CWB for the future.
Relevance therefore to the future and the future would include the next generation of farmers who are under 45.
9% of thos under 45 believe the CWB is doing a good job. In my mind that statistic is the most important statistic of the whole survey to the BOD.

I note it is not mentioned in any press release.

The task of the BOD is to determine the most competitive structure for marketing western Canadian wheat and barley for the future in the face of growing competition from the CIS for the same markets.

Those under 45 will live to see the CIS compete heavily for the wheat markets, their prosperity, their families future will be even more than the current farming majority (over 45), determined by the ability of their country to be competitive in the world.

The task of the BOD survey should not be to strive to support the "we love the CWB" response the task should be to discover why 9% of farmers under 45 beleive the CWB does an excellent job of marketing their wheat.

With economic returns 1$ per bushel under the Ontario Wheat Board I would suggest the Bod focus of the next meeting is how do we return better results so the farmers of the future under 45 have confidence in us. And focus on proof of better marketing being a higher price for farmers versus a lower price than comparable juridictions.

It is time the CWB BOD quit fan fairing how much we are loved press releases and get down to examining the fact that the young farmers of the future do not think they are doing a better job.



As the NIke slogan says
"just do it"

[TOM4CWB]

haveapulse,

CWB permit books are so messed up... I wouldn't count on them meaning anything in particular!

There are many farms that refuse to have one... and many that have 5 or 10 to ship malt cars... what all this means is anyones guess!

Like in the last federal 'survey' of barley growers... the list of growers SHOULD NOT come from the CWB. Otherwise it will be 'vote early and often'.

Why should anyone be telling our farm where to send our trucks anyway?

This is just a stupid red herring to get us to fight each other... and not become organised to really change gov.'s role on our farms!

[haveapulse]

I know Tom4 but if we look at the demographics of this survey and the results I expect they reflect the
voters list at the CWB, which explains why the survey and the vote is always so predictable.

Surely a total review is necessary of the election process and the voters list...

However if I was a CWB supporter I would take note of what the younger folk think of me as this is indeed the only statistic that has any value to their future.

That and of course that 53% want someting other than a single desk.

[FifthColumn]

What strikes me is the underrepresentation of Alberta farmers in this survey. In the past 10 years, they have produced 37% of the wheat and barley on the prairies and yet they account for only 27% of those surveyed.

[charliep]

Just curious on where the number of Alberta respondents number came from? Not available in the survey presentation that I can see.

[FifthColumn]

If you call and ask, they'll tell you. Breakdown was 745 SK, 354 AB and 203 MB.

[charliep]

Good information

The information from the 2006 and 2007 interview schedule provides a pretty good breakdown of demographics. Things don't change that much year to year.

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/farmers/surveys/producer/pdf/interview_062107.pdf

http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/newsroom/releases/pdf/prod_surveymay2006.pdf

[Raven]

Ten years of CWB propaganda has 83% of farmers in 2009 believing that farmers run the CWB. Up from 74% in 2008. How is the CWB going to be able to continue to fool farmers with the recent unanimous Federal Court of Appeal supporting the Government? The court states:

"The Wheat Board is a creature of statute and as such, it has no powers, rights and duties save those bestowed on it by the Act."

[Fransisco]

You just click your heels together three times and say, " there's no place like the single desk, there's no place like the single desk..."

[tipsy]

A very accurate assessment Raven. If farmers controled the cwb we would definitely have marketing choice in barley,and probable would have marketing options for grains the cwb will not contract or accept 100% on a contract.As the goverment or cwb survey results point out farmers want choice in marketing barley.Where is it? What I can't figure out is if you are not going to do as farmers want then why continue to do the survey and why contine to promote the message that farmers are in control of the board when clearly there are NOT.

[Raven]

Winnipeg bureaucrats are currently controling the CWB, and neither farmers or the government. It isn't hard to figure out their interests. Hopefully this recent court case will cause the government to assert their authority and order the CWB to grant export licences to producers.

[Fransisco]

DESIGN OF CWB ANNUAL SURVEY OF FARMERS IS FLAWED


Release Airdrie, AB. – June 30, 2009: The Canadian Wheat Board annual survey of farmers has the Western Barley Growers Association (WBGA) concerned. ”The survey is one of the main tools used for strategic planning by the CWB Board of Directors” says Brian Otto, President of the WBGA. “Unfortunately the design of the survey is flawed.” First, the CWB only surveys CWB Permit Book holders. “The CWB doesn’t get the views of farmers who grow wheat and barley but do not have a CWB permit book’, says Otto. “Our view is that their opinion matters too.”

Second, the survey of 1300 farms across the Prairies does not take production into account. Alberta farmers, who produce 35% of the wheat and barley on the Prairies, represent only 27% of the survey.

“Let’s be clear”, says Otto. “If all farmers – both with and without Permit Books – were given a voice in proportion to provincial production, those favouring an open market in barley would be more than the 60% shown by the current survey.”

Third, the survey favours smaller and older farmers nearing retirement rather than farmers who are producing the bulk of the wheat and barley grown on the Prairies.

“The CWB is hearing primarily from their supporters. Taking volume of production by province into account and including farmers without Permit Books would go a long way to improving the information being gathered”, Otto says. “If the CWB wants farmers’ views to assist in future business decisions, they need to change the survey. Adjustments can be made to the process without losing information concerning historical trends.”

“We support the CWB’s use of farmer surveys to gauge how farmers view various issues. But to be relevant, the survey needs to be inclusive, not exclusive. Forming strategic plans without the benefit of all farmer stakeholders will generate skewed results. This is not in the best interests of the CWB nor the farmers it represents.

As it is right now, the survey shows CWB Permit Book holders’ views only, and does not represent all Western Canadian farmers.”

[Fransisco]

Good point Raven, the CWB is run by the bureaucrats for the bureaucrats, who are only accountable to themselves.

[classicalliberal]

Something that I can't believe is that the biggest support comes from Manitoba. I thought that most farmers in the Red River Valley were more progressive than that.