LETTERS – for Jan. 8, 2009

Grain Growers of Canada wish list At this special time of year, the Grain Growers would like to reflect on accomplishments over the past 12 months and look forward to next year. On the positives, we’d like to recognize the Transport Committees of the House and Senate for their quick work in passing Bill C-8

Make wheat like canola, CropLife told

“One of the things farmers maybe should be interested in is having some control over their own germplasm.” – David Rourke Plant breeders need to make wheat more like canola, farmers said during CropLife Canada’s annual convention in Ottawa last month. “You look at what canola (yield) has done and it has been phenomenal,” Jeff


Alberta wheat grower to lead WCWGA

Kevin Bender, a 38-year-old Bentley, Alta., farmer, is the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association’s (WCWGA) new president. Bender, who farms 3,800 acres with his father and brother, takes over from Mossbank, Sask., farmer Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, who stepped down after holding the position for almost five years. Bender was elected by the WCWGA’s board of directors,

Who is the Grain Growers of Canada?

The Grain Growers of Canada was founded in 2000 to represent grain growers, through their respective associations, across Canada. The initial members were the Alberta Barley Commission, Atlantic Grains Council, Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission, Ontario Corn Producers’ Association, Ontario Soybean Growers, Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association and Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. Since then all


Single-desk support unchanged

Pro-single-desk directors continue to hold the balance of power at the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) following the most contentious wheat board election since they began in 1998. Four of the five directors elected want the CWB’s monopoly on the sale of western wheat and barley for domestic human consumption or export to remain. That includes

Grain Growers of Canada enjoy lobbying success

“I personally cannot remember a time over the last decade that our issues have been the government’s issues.” – Ross Ravelli Grain Growers of Canada members revelled in their lobbying successes and plotted strategy for ongoing battles at their recent annual meeting here. “I personally cannot remember a time over the last decade that our


Unauthorized use of CWB logo criticized

Incumbent District 10 wheat board director Bill Toews is being criticized for using the Canadian Wheat Board’s “wheat” logo in his election material. Farmers voting in the CWB election could get the impression Toews has the CWB’s endorsement, said Rolf Penner, who is one of four candidates running against Toews. Last week the CWB issued

Election changes little on farm scene

The Conservative win in the Oct. 14 election brought little change to the farm scene in Parliament. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was re-elected with a comfortable margin in his western Saskatchewan riding, despite the national flap over his “cold cuts” comments. Ritz’s main critics, Liberal Wayne Easter and the NDP’s Alex Atamanenko, also won in