THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011
VOL. 89 | NO. 29 | $3.75
AT THE STAMPEDE | P14, 16
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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LIGHTNING STRIKE SETS THE NIGHT ON FIRE
Working under dangerous conditions with lightning still active above them, volunteer crews from Rockyford and Rosebud, Alta., attempt to put out a hay fire July 18. The fire was caused by a lightning strike on Randy Melcher’s farm north of Rockyford. Melcher lost 38 stacks of hay — each stack equals about three round bales. | KEVIN LINK PHOTO
MARKETING | CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD
Feds ignore flawed safety nets: critic
CWB set to explore marketing alternatives
u|xhHEEJBy00001pzYv#:^ JULY 21, 2011 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4
BY BARRY WILSON
Voluntary pools? | Board will submit marketing models this summer
OTTAWA BUREAU
Canada’s agriculture ministers are missing the boat when negotiating the design of the next five-year agricultural policy framework because they are largely ignoring flawed safety nets, says a political critic. Liberal agriculture critic Frank Valeriote, MP for Guelph, Ont., said farmer appearances before the House of Commons agriculture committee in the past three years almost always included complaints about flaws in income support programs. Yet when they met in New Brunswick in early July to establish the principles for the Growing Forward 2, federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and his provincial counterparts barely m ent io n ed t h e n e e d to improve safety net design. SEE SAFETY NETS, PAGE 3
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BY BRIAN CROSS SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Farmers aren’t likely to be interested in a marketing system that allows them to voluntarily pool their grain, says the chair of the Canadian Wheat Board. The concept was expected to be one of the options considered by wheat board directors as they met this week to look at alternative marketing models. Allen Oberg doesn’t think it will appeal to farmers. “ Vo l u nt a r y p o o l s a re a l w ay s plagued with problems,” Oberg said. “I guess that’s why there isn’t a voluntary pool for canola or oats or peas or lentils. “To me, voluntary pools are not impossible … and there’s no reason why one couldn’t be established, (but) I think it would be of limited
… You’re never sure of how much grain is going to be contracted to that voluntary pool and that makes it difficult to make sales. ALLEN OBERG CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD
interest and perhaps value to farmers because you’re never sure of how much grain is going to be contracted to that voluntary pool and that makes it difficult to make sales.” Oberg confirmed that the board is planning to make a submission to the federal government this summer, identifying marketing models that could benefit producers. The board hopes to make the sub-
mission in early September before Parliament reconvenes and legislation to end the single desk is passed. “The board is going to see this material (on alternative marketing models) for the first time next week and I’m sure there will be some changes or further work that will probably asked to be done,” he said. Oberg said he sees the board’s role in assessing alternative models as an advisory one. The onus for creating and financing a new grain marketing entity will fall on the federal government and not the CWB, he added. He said the federal government will likely have to offer significant concessions if the new entity is to have a reasonable chance of surviving. SEE MARKETING ALTERNATIVES, P. 2
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POLICY | FRAMEWORK