Basic HTML Version
By TOM STEVE
Rolling
FORWARD
WhoWill Speak for
Wheat andBarleyFarmers?
Farmers could be forgiven
for being a bit perplexed by the recent
proliferation of farm organizations in
Western Canada.
Unless you are immersed in the world
of agri-policymaking, you may need a
manual to keep up with all the groups
and the work they do on your behalf.
New provincial wheat and barley com-
missions have sprung up, along with two
national councils—Cereals Canada and
the Barley Council of Canada. So, why is
this happening?
When the Canadian Wheat Board
(CWB) lost its single-desk powers in 2012,
the marketing changes were just part of
the story. It signalled a fundamental shift
in who controls wheat and barley varietal
research, market development and policy
advocacy.
Not that long ago, farm policy in
Western Canada was largely shaped by the
CWB and the Prairie wheat pools through
their farmer delegate bodies. The Western
Canadian Wheat Growers Association
(WCWGA), the Western Barley Growers
Association (WBGA) and United Grain
Growers represented the right; general
farm organizations such as Wild Rose
Agricultural Producers and the Canadian
Federation of Agriculture occupied the
middle; and the National Farmers Union
(NFU) weighed in from the far left.
The disappearance of the pools and
the CWB as voices for farmers has left a
void and paved the way for a “new order”
in the wheat and barley industry. What
the end-state model will look like is still
to be determined, but provincial crop
commissions and their national organiza-
tions are poised to assume much of that
responsibility.
Check-off commissions are certainly
not new for crops like canola and pulses,
but prior to the passage of the
Marketing
Freedom for Grain Farmers Act
, wheat and
barley research and market development
decisions were dominated by the CWB.
Alberta charted a more independent
course by forming the Alberta Barley
Commission over 20 years ago. Commis-
sions were also set up to advance winter
wheat and soft wheat, and these groups
later spearheaded the development of the
Alberta Wheat Commission to represent
all wheat classes.
What is currently being debated is how
all of these groups will collaborate and
who will do what.
The provincial commissions, who
collect and administer the check-off
dollars, will obviously carry a lot of weight
and are ultimately accountable to wheat
and barley producers. The new national
councils, with significant funding from
the commissions and industry, will serve
as national voices for wheat and barley.
As the commissions and councils
become established, existing farm lobby
groups are contemplating how they fit
in. The Grain Growers of Canada, for ex-
ample, has established itself as a national
voice for grain and oilseed producers in
Ottawa, so how does it collaborate with
Cereals Canada and the Barley Council?
Where do the WCWGA, WBGA, NFU and
general farm organizations fit in the new
environment, and is there room in the
tent for all of them?
Another issue to be tackled is the future
of wheat and barley varietal development,
and specifically of the Western Grains
Research Foundation. It funds a good por-
tion of public breeding through a federal
check-off that is set to end in 2017, and has
a board of directors representing no less
than 18 farm organizations.
Not to be overlooked is the Canada
Grains Council, a national body that
includes representatives from producer
groups, grain companies and processors.
Where we go from here is the obvious
question—and one that will be debat-
ed during this winter’s farm meeting
season and beyond. The good news is
that change creates opportunity, and
farmers have been given a mandate by
their provincial and federal govern-
ments to shape the future of the wheat
and barley industry—and make history
in the process.
Tom Steve is the general manager of the
Alberta Wheat Commission.
Fall
2014
Grains
West
8