By Brent Bosker

Market freedom on its way: MP

May 15, 2011 | 4:19 PM

The days of a single desk marketing system for prairie wheat and barley are numbered.

A re-elected Conservative government, armed with a majority has made it clear it will finally move to end the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly.

The board on the other hand wants the future direction of the board to lay with farmers — not governments.

“Farmers have the right to continue to make the decisions themselves about the role and structure of their marketing approach. The path forward must be forged in clear accordance with their wishes,” said Allen Oberg, chair of the CWB.

But the argument has been exhausted and changes will be made, said Prince Albert MP, Randy Hoback.

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“We’ve had enough say on this, it’s moving forward,” Hoback said.

When parliament resumes this spring, the Conservative government is set to establish a duel marketing system that will give prairie farmers the option to sell with the wheat board or go somewhere else.

“We’ve always told farmers we want see a strong CWB sitting there for their needs for the guys that want to use it — so we got to find out a way to balance both of those so basically everyone gets what they need out of this thing,” Hoback said.

Kerry Peterson, a Shellbrook area farmer said he is excited to see how a duel system will work.

“I just think that there are other people that can market our grain equally or better and I would like to see them have the opportunity,” Peterson said. “Australia has done it and their farmers are way happier.”

During a time of high commodity prices, Peterson said he hasn’t been able to fully capitalize with the board controlling the price he gets for his grain.

“Every time we’ve checked and marketed in the northern U.S. or even in Ontario, it seems like our CWB price has always been lower.”

Farming has changed over the years and so too should the board, said Hoback.

“The reality is there are lots of farmers out there who run big businesses. Farms aren’t what they were 50 years ago. (Farmers) are running anywhere from 5,000 to 25,000 to 50,000 acres. They have professional people on staff that can handle the marketing of their crops like wheat and barley.”

Hoback said he rejects critics who say the move to a duel system would cripple the board.

The wheat board will continue operate, but without its marketing monopoly, Hoback said.

“The board has lots of strengths and lots of capabilities … in the marketing of wheat and barley. They can take advantage of those strengths and actually make it into a very effective marketing agency for farmers who choose to use it.”

However, Hoback couldn’t say how a new look board would operate.

The new system is still being hashed out, he said. The only commitment our party made is giving farmers the freedom to market their grain as they see fit. The wheat board is going to have to say in how it operates and those talks still need to go on, Hoback said.

bbosker@panow.com