At the start of the next crop year, on August 1, 2012, a new era begins for western Canadian grain farmers, when the Canadian Wheat Board begins operations without the single-desk monopoly powers it formerly had.
Will the sky fall on that date? Will grain farmers be run ragged, bereft of any place to sell their wheat, durum and barley to? Will producer cars all of a sudden not be available to farmers anymore?
The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "no"; it is unrealistic to think nothing will work anymore simply because the board doesn't possess the single-desk powers to market grain.
The board will continue to market grain, utilitizing the resources and know-how of their personnel as before; they will issue market forecasts, and will lend support to producers who want to make use of their abilities.
The major difference will be that grain farmers can decide on their own where and how to market their grain; they may well stay with the CWB, to make use of their expertise and marketing know-how to sell and market their grain. If however they hear that grain prices down in North Dakota or Montana aren't that bad, they may well make the necessary arrangements to go that way - and unlike a few years ago when some renegade farmers tried to do the same, the farmers this time won't be arrested or jailed for trying to get the best price for their wheat or durum or barley.
Producer cars will continue to be available as well, with one local owner of a shortline railroad forecasting that use of producer cars will actually increase rather than decrease.
There are also predictions that value-added opportunities for farmers will grow on the prairies. This is also partly dependent on the economy, and on those willing to take a risk with their capital to invest in ventures like processing plants, or manufacturers of farm implements, or what ever other venture producers wish to pursue.
As many producers said during the discussions over the CWB prior to the passage of the bill in Parliament, no one wanted to see the CWB removed or destroyed; it still has a role to play in the agriculture industry.
Supporters of the CWB should ask themselves, if their agency was so all-important to the industry, why are grain farmers elsewhere able to market their grain and survive quite well?
