Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 16, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba A8 special report Winnipeg free May 2000 t the Canadian wheat Board i partial monopoly proposed to end feud by Bill Redekop is there a Way out of the Canadian wheat boards monopoly Dick former senior Vic president of Cargill believes there might the controversy with the wheat Board has always been that its an you either have a or you dont have a wheat theres no Middle the reason for that is the wheat Board owns no its Only asset is an agreement where or so Prairie Farmers allow it to sell their instead of the Farmers bidding against each other and possibly driving Down but Dawson wonders if its possible to give the wheat Board a partial he proposes reducing the wheat boards monopoly to Only so to 75 per cent of a Farmers instead of All of that Farmers would still be required by Law to commit some of their wheat to the wheat the rest could be sold to private or they could sell it to the wheat but they would have a that would still give the wheat Board a Guaran teed Supply for it to make Lon term wheat against the Grain i sunday a critical crossroad i yesterday a relationship i today is there a Way out in the final instalment of a three part series on the Canadian wheat reporters Helen Falldin Gand Bill Redekop Analyse a pasta and offer one Way out of the boards with a minimum so to 75 per cent of Canadas wheat the wheat Board would still make up 1015 per cent of the world wheat and retain clout on world there might also be an option for Farmers to opt out of the wheat Board but then they would have to stay out for a minimum of five to 10 that so Farmers Cherry pick Between the wheat Board and the private depending on whose prices Are higher that the change would bring the private Trade Back into the and would allow the Winnipeg commodity Exchange to establish a wheat reaction by Farmers and Industry spokesmen interviewed by the free press ranged from Why go just half Way when you could get rid of the whole wheat to concerns about How the program could be wheat Board supporters Felt it would just be a step to eliminating the Board com i think the balance that weve struck works i think there Are lots of Good reasons for Tak ing Barley but on Farmers have been said Don Market analyst with farm Market opponents of the wheat Board suggest a voluntary Board creating a dual where the wheat Board loses its monopoly and competes with the private Trade for dual marketing and a voluntary wheat Board were tried at the outset from and failed that Why the wheat Board became a life dial plies borrowing to state 4 4 i Prev Ldes a fryers equitable Access to tar Stets i state trading exporters like the Cwb gated if world Trade Organ Fatiori i horrid Farr Fite Tor Cwb and the open i the Federal government is Revie role in Grain ant your business of bargains open 7 Days a week flooring for decks hours Kanaback commercial level Loop carpet carpet Price Quality selection Wetra not he Only flooring lore in but before you take i Liv to ilk Louth were we will you mom q Caprice distributors 1821 Wellington at Berry 7754473 ask for Jack or Arlie j make it an Orion Rodt solid Deal High Back bucket vortex overdrive automatic aluminium Chrome front rear step heavy duty custom Interior and cloth trim and air conditioned Mai l4 engine 4 Speed automatic rear window Washer and rear window cargo area cover with cargo convenience folded cloth towing capacity of 1500 bumper to bumper factory warranty with Roadside assistance and much reclining front keyless Remote entry air cruise tilt Power windows with express Power door Power 4 Speed ski twin Cam l4 Roadside assistance and much v6 ski 4 Speed automatic split folding rear cargo reclining front air Roadside assistance and much 7 air cruise 3400 ski 4 styled cd pm Roadside assistance much people rear the fins 36 Mac 1st Deposit Tajee Orion Odds Moe Chevy trucks 8374000 or dual Markette my pasta Coop fights durum monopoly dispute becomes lightning Rod for growers anti Board feelings by Bill Redekop and Helen fall Dong pasta is the stuff Prairie farm ers dreams Are made of these but the Canadian wheat Board is accused of spoiling the a group of Farmers who want to build their own pasta Plant claims the wheat Board monopoly is standing in its the dispute has become a Light Ning Rod for anti Board they talk out of one Side of their Mouth about Deloraine Farmer Charles Gilson said of the wheat but on the other Side of their they dont do anything to encourage for three about 650 farm ers in Montana and North Dakota have been trying to Start a cooperative to turn their durum into the Prairie pasta producers group spent almost All of last year fight ing for an exemption from the wheat boards the Farmers want to sell their durum to their own pasta without having to sell through the wheat boards monopoly in so they could get a higher Price because the North american Market pays a the wheat Board Price is lower because it pays Farmers a blended Price of the North american and Export which dont pay a Grant Manitoba interim Board said Farmers in the Coop should be allowed to pocket the higher North american Price because they Are the ones taking the risk of owning a each Farmer would invest at least in the pasta the wheat Board says theres More to it than the Cwb has skated around the Issue in the largely because it fears International Trade said a Board who asked not to be that because if theres any one crop where the wheat boards monopoly has pried higher prices out of the Market for its after the wheat Board monopoly makes up 60 per cent of world Trade in its called Market if there was no wheat there would be no Premium for the Prairie pasta producers to Squab ble the 20 Alton area Farmers who started a pasta com Harvest five years Are miffed that Prairie pasta is having troubles with the wheat Prairie Harvest spokesman Les Kletke said if the pasta producers Coop thinks the wheat Board is an wait until they Start com Peting with the big boys established pasta manufacturers and and instead traditional Pas targets the in Mically grown p makes some t five years of going after the a the group he Market of Organ although it also additional the Altona Fred Oreen sude free press Maddess will try again the supermarket manufacturers will slash their prices to see How Long a new com Pany can sustain and super markets will play the new pasta maker off against established com which produce such Large quantities that they have economies of scale advantages Over the new kid on the Kletke said what his producers discovered is that the Cost of durum is such a minuscule part of the products final its hardly Worth arguing breaking into the grocery Busi Ness is very Kletke if the wheat Board Bent Over backwards for instead of building a new the Altona Farmers bought one in and instead of processing raw the Plant buys processed Semolina for final pro group still haunt paid a dividend to the it is still paying off Money it borrowed to Star the but he end is in Kletke Prairie pasta producers has switched it has now decided against building a new Plant because the pasta Market is simply too something the Altona Farmers realized five years members Hope to buy a Plant in the United Prairie pasta producers tried unsuccessfully this Spring to raise at least Milli n for the Canadian farm s who committed a minimum of would have gotten a foot in he value added but their m Grain would not have been directly involved in the Coop Mem ears still dream of a second phase i involving a Canadian some armers refuse to invest in Prairie pasta until the wheat Board g ants an but most Wen just Short of Cash this m Widdess Prairie past i will try later this year to raise c by mad Dess Hopes 1 armers will have unseated some of the wheat Board directors who voted against the Prairie pasta i five directors Are up for reelection this a Consumers Best buy Consumers digest Consumers Best buy Consin Iriti s digest Jim 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