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SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER
OPEN FORUM LETTERS POLICY: Letters should be less than 300 words. Name, address and phone number must be included for verification purposes and only letters accepted for publication will be confirmed with the author. Open letters should be avoided; priority will be given to letters written exclusively for the Producer. Editors reserve the right to reject or edit any letter for clarity, brevity, legality and good taste. Cuts will be indicated by ellipsis (…) Publication of a letter does not imply endorsement by the Producer.
The grain companies will tell you what they will pay, and we will have no say. People don’t realize the companies don’t compete; they work together. There is a lot of money in buying and selling and the merchants of grain want it, so our government is doing all they can to help them instead of thinking of those who grow the grain. Grain farmers’ biggest problem is when people who have never shovelled a bushel of wheat think they should tell us how to market it. T.E. Finnson, Arborg, Man.
BACK OFF, BUNGE HISTORY REPEATS To the Editor: To the Editor: Witness what has happened since we gave away the Crow rate. We were told that there would be flour mills, pasta plants, feedlots, slaughter plants, and all kinds of good would come to Western Canada. Well, the only thing we got was we have to pay more to haul our grain, and the rail service has deteriorated. The railways have control of hauling grain and they have taken advantage. Next to go will be the Canadian Wheat Board. Some farmers tell us, ‘I want to sell my own grain.’ This will not happen. access=subscriber section=opinion,none,non section=opinion,none,none
The Globe and Mail featured an article recently entitled, “Grain firm Bunge welcomes end of wheat board.” As if images of the giant U.S.-based grain trader ready to pounce further into Western Canada aren’t cringeworthy enough, the article reports repugnant viewpoints from the company’s CEO, Alberto Weisser, who applauds Ottawa’s decision to turf the CWB. Among his egregious opinions, Weisser remarks that other countries have eliminated board trade because “it’s not always well managed.” Fourteen international trade inves-
tigations of the CWB and the auditor general of Canada would all beg to disagree. Since two-thirds of the CWB’s board of directors, who oversee the CWB’s operations, are elected farmers, it looks like what Weisser is really saying is that farmers are poor managers, presumably the same farmers he hopes to profit from. He also notes that mostly less efficient farmers support the outdated board system. Does that mean the vast majority of farmers who support the CWB single desk in election after election are all inefficient? This hardly seems fair, or credible. If Weisser thinks that inefficient, archaic farmers back the CWB, then why, in his efficient world, is he asserting that he wants to deal with these people, post-CWB? Furthermore, if Bunge is poised to enter this new world, then why isn’t their CEO also demonstrating some benefit to farmers by stating how much grain handling fees will drop because of this player arriving on the scene? In reality, it doesn’t take a genius to envision a post-CWB world with massive companies ready to descend on a group that they perceive to be inefficient, easy targets from which corporate profits can be taken. Moreover, the thought of a U.S.based behemoth like Bunge providing the same level of service and commitment to farmers that the
CWB has for decades seems unlikely. Like the other grain companies, Bunge can barely wait for the change. Understandably, prairie farmers aren’t reciprocating the same sentiment. Don Dutchak, Rama, Sask.
ONLY FAIR WAY To the Editor: It is obvious that the Conservative government knows it would not win a prairie producer vote on the single desk question of selling wheat and barley. Before the election (federal agriculture minister Gerry) Ritz said that there would be a farmer vote. After the election he claims there won’t be a vote as they have a majority mandate to do as they want. Instead, he and his prime minister are going to legislate a change to the CWB Act in order to accomplish what has been promised to the multinationals. He states he will consult with farm groups, and he probably will, but only with the ones that would like to see the demise of the CWB. Our representatives to government have been elected by all the population and are elected to do our wishes. They forget that and forget who pays their wages, which is how a democracy works.
The Conservative government claims their vote results say the Prairies want to get rid of the CWB, but all people vote and to 97 percent of the population, the C WB question wasn’t even on the table. The only fair way to get the producer answer to the question is to have a two-sided question put to the prairie producers, which is what the CWB is doing. The government needs to be mindful of the result of this vote. Ritz claims he isn’t dictating to the board, but that is exactly what he is doing. We have sent aircraft and are spending another $60 million more to the end of September to displace a dictator in Libya and then have a dictator right here at home. The Conservative agenda is to implement legislation to placate foreign companies and multinationals so they can do business in Canada unimpeded. Bernie von Tettenborn, Round Hill, Alta.
DEFEND US, PREMIER To the Editor: I just recently heard premier Brad Wall’s radio ad, in which he states that he is the person to look to, to stand up for the people of Saskatchewan. Wall mentioned his admirable, albeit 11th hour, stand on potash as an example.
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