Letters to the Editor
Nipawin Journal
By Leo Howse/Porcupine Plain

The present CWB Director elections could put the future of producer cars in jeopardy. Kyle Korneychuk our present director fully supports the use of producer cars by farmers who wish to use them. His websitewww.votekorneychuk4cwb.ca clearly identifies his position on producer cars. The other candidate Terry Youzwa says he supports producer cars and says to look to his webpage for further details. However, upon checking his webpage it says nothing about producer cars.

Youzwa does state the legislation which provides the right to access the producer cars is within the Canada Grain Commission, inferring the CWB has nothing to do with producer cars. However, one only has to ask why there are so few producer cars for crops other than the CWB grains? The answer is quite simple, you may have the right to load a car but if no one is willing to unload the car at port the right is useless!!

Since most knowledgeable farmers know that the grain trade has essentially locked up all the terminals at export position and since the “grain trade” has no financial benefit to unload producer cars – they don’t- unless instructed! The only reason the trade unloads producer cars is because the CWB allocates the cars for the Canadian Grain Commission and that the CWB can direct where the grain is to go and be unloaded. If the CWB loses its single desk and associated transportation authorities – producer cars will be effectively eliminated!

With producer car traffic in the range of 12,000 cars per year, it is very obvious that many producers are not happy with the present elevator system. These producer car loadings put an additional $12,000,000.00 per year into producers’ pockets and their local communities. Therefore, I think that producers deserve to know exactly where the director candidates stand on this issue and if producers lose this option who will reimburse farmers for this loss?

Producers need to ask their director candidates if they really support the use of producer cars or do they simply give it lip service and their true allegiance is to the “grain trade” and their associated “severance packages”?

Comments are closed.