Extraordinary difference between country and port prices

by on Mar 31, 2014 in Articles and Letters

Allan Dawson in Manitoba Cooperator, March 31, 2014 Farmers unable to move crops this winter have had plenty of time to notice the difference between what grain companies are paying in the country and selling for off the West Coast. “Our calculations demonstrate the grain companies have taken over $1.6 billion in excess profits from wheat alone so far this crop year,” said CWBA spokesman and...

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Railways want to kill revenue cap

by on Mar 12, 2014 in Articles and Letters

By Bill Woods March 11, 2014 Leader-Post A railway-friendly economist will say that you must pay more to get better service.  Unfortunately for farmers, when it comes to grain transportation the opposite is true. Terry Whiteside, chair of the U.S. Rail Shippers Alliance, provided documented evidence that shippers in the U.S. who pay the highest rates, get the poorest service.  These shippers...

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Pointing the finger at the feds

by on Mar 3, 2014 in Articles and Letters

By Bruce Johnstone, Leader-Post February 28, 2014 REGINA — There’s plenty of blame to go around when looking for those responsible for the $5-billion backlog in the grainhandling system. The railways, for putting the interests of their shareholders ahead of their customers. The grain companies, for failing to anticipate the increased demand on grain handling system created by the largest crop...

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Emperor’s new clothes

by on Feb 24, 2014 in Articles and Letters

by:  Ron Watson The emperor’s new grain marketing clothes have now been exposed for the hot air they were “woven” from. Farmer opportunity to contract or deliver wheat is unequal or non-existent, and wheat prices have fallen by 50% putting them well under both U.S. and world prices. Don’t let the emperor and his courtiers tell you that the answer is to give more money to the railways....

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For farm families everyday is family day

by on Feb 17, 2014 in Articles and Letters

Editor’s note:  (February17) On Family Day we are printing this article to honour those farm families who contribute so much to Canadian society and the legacy their forbearers created.   by Murray Hidlebaugh  (Feb 17/2014) Grain farmers on the prairies are rediscovering their ability to work together and with others for a common cause. That cause is remedying the erosion of their...

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UPOV 91 – gold for seed companies

by on Feb 5, 2014 in Articles and Letters

– Eric Sagan, Melville, Sask. I have just received my 2014 Saskatchewan Seed Guide. I have counted approximately 70 different wheat varieties and approximately 24 different barley varieties which are mostly Plant Breeders Rights protected which really means farmers have to pay more There is also a so called “new” farm organization calling itself “Partners in Innovations.”  Upon...

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