Ritz Thirsty For Barley Freedom Beer

When legislation Bill C-18 passes to kill the wheat board s monopoly, Gerry Ritz says he ll celebrate with a glass of barley freedom beer. It might even be made with malt from Rahr Malting in Alix, Alta., where the minister of agriculture visited Nov. 1 to celebrate the company s announcement to spend $6

Ritz Announces Supply Chain Logistics Forum

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announc ed a new industry forum to exchange views and work to improve the logistical system for farmers, the handling industry and customers. The Crop Logistics Working Group was announced in an address to the Inland Terminal Association of Canada (ITAC) Nov. 7. The Crop Logistics Working Group will be


Conservatives Racing To Dec. 5 On CWB Bill

Few noticed the irony as the Conservatives used their majority to shove its legislation to end the Canadian Wheat Board s marketing monopoly through a special Commons committee in three evenings. The committee met Nov. 1-3 in an ornate chamber, once known as the Reading Room, across the Hall of Honour from the Railway Committee

Keep Things In Perspective

Manitoba s largest general farm policy organization has taken its share of lumps lately, a reflection of just how acrimonious the debate of the day in farm policy has proven to be. To their credit, members of the Keystone Agricultural Producers general council tackled some difficult discussions at their recent meeting with jocularity after an


Producer Cars Face Obsolescence

As many of you know, every time you ship a producer car, you are using The Canada Grain Act, which allows an alternative system or safety valve method of shipping grains. This means, if and only if there is someone at port position prepared to sell it, then you can ship any grain in a

Letters – for Nov. 10, 2011

A Tonne Of Discontent Brandon Souris MP Merv Tweed found a tonne of grain delivered to his riding office Nov. 4. (See photo on page 19.) Farmers are angry that Tweed s government is breaking the law and denying us a vote on our CWB. Canada is watching as Tweed and his Minister of Agriculture


Is History Repeating Itself?

The wheat board isn t even dead yet, but that didn t stop some Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) delegates meeting here last week from wanting to resurrect it. I ve got an idea here, Arborg farmer Kyle Foster said during a discussion about lopsided contracts favouring grain companies Oct. 27. Why don t we pool

Apples And Oranges Add Up To Bananas

We ve observed over time that it s become increasingly difficult for civil servants to maintain that blurry distinction between policy and politics. But there can be no question that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has crossed the line with its marketing freedom website. It was undoubtedly pushed, but the result is the same. There can


What Parliament Giveth, Parliament Can Taketh Away

There are many things wrong with the way that the Conservative government has handled the wheat board issue. The decision has been made on purely ideological grounds, without even so much as a departmental review, let alone a proper study by an independent commission. That didn t need to be a review of whether to

Letters – for Nov. 3, 2011

Rally Turnout Underscores Majority View Judging by the overwhelming turnout at the pro-CWB rally in Winnipeg Oct. 28, it is apparent that the plebiscite results of 62 per cent consensus on one issue is quite accurate. Money raised for the legal challenges was three times more than expected and the largest donations are still coming