After decades of debate among farmers and politicians, it took less than 15 months for the machinery of the federal government to dismantle — some might describe it as steamroll — the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk following the Conservative majority in the 2011 federal election. The behind-the-scenes of how former federal Agriculture Minister Gerry… Read More
Tag: Canadian Wheat Board
Farmers across Western Canada celebrated on Tuesday as it was the fifth anniversary of farmers gaining marketing freedom for wheat and barley, formerly known as ‘board grains’. On August 1, 2012 farmers were given control of marketing their own farm production. Wheat and barley no longer had to be sold through the Canadian Wheat Board’s… Read More
A remnant of the pro-Canadian Wheat Board movement is still alive, and still punching above its weight, even though it’s been three-and-a-half years since the federal government buried the CWB’s single desk monopoly. The latest example of the vocal minority receiving mainstream attention: “Prairie Farmers Calling for the Return of the Canadian Wheat Board” read the… Read More
When most of us think of a typical protest, images of cowboy hats and tractors don’t generally come to mind. But, farmers have definitely played a role in shaping public policy (or at least garnering some attention) through protests. 1. Cows Against TPP Cows, milk, farmers and tractors hit the streets of Ottawa this week —… Read More
As harvest rolls on where weather allows, traders are getting a better handle on the yield and quality profile of this year’s wheat crop. In this Wheat School episode, Bruce Burnett, weather and crop analyst with CWB (soon to be G3 Canada) Market Research, walks us through the supply/demand fundamentals as the new crop hits… Read More
It wasn’t all that long ago that if you wanted to really heat up a room full of western Canadian farmers, you’d simply have to mention the Canadian Wheat Board. Shortly thereafter, the battle lines would be drawn between those who fully supported the board’s government-mandated monopoly and those who wanted it abolished. Then came… Read More
First its monopoly was removed, and now the name will be history too. The Canadian Wheat Board (or CWB) formally became a private grain company known as “G3 Canada” today. G3 Global Grain Group — the joint venture between Bunge and the Saudi Agriculture and Livestock Investment Company — completed the $250 million acquisition of a… Read More
It’s crop tour season in most areas, and as part of this week’s update, Bruce Burnett of CWB joins Kelvin Heppner to recap his tour looking at crop conditions across the Canadian prairies. The ag ministers’ meeting in PEI, a new canola crush plant at Camrose and fusarium issues in wheat are also highlighted in the… Read More
It’s hard to miss the construction of a new grain elevator. The sheer size of the structure almost instantly changes the skyline in a rural area. Neighbours, farmers and motorists watch with curiosity from a distance as the structure takes shape. If you go back almost a century, the construction of a new elevator was a… Read More
There’s no question the Canadian Wheat Board is establishing its physical presence in Western Canada, but farmers are still seeking answers to questions about how they will participate in owning the grain business controlled by G3 Global Grain Group — a joint venture between Bunge and a Saudi government investment company. A farmer equity trust… Read More
Western Canadian farm groups are generally welcoming the increased competition that should result from turning the (incapacitated?) Canadian Wheat Board into a private grain company controlled by Bunge and a Saudi investment company, but producer groups are still seeking answers about the farmer ownership part of the deal. The agreement announced this week will see farmers owning 49.9 percent… Read More
Less than three years after the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk, the CWB is on the verge of becoming a private grain company controlled by a joint venture between global grain business Bunge and the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company — the Saudi Arabian government’s primary agricultural investment arm. The new alliance known… Read More
Update on July 31, 2015: G3 Global Grain Group today announced the successful close of its deal to acquire a majority stake in CWB. CWB will be combined with the grain assets of Bunge Canada to form G3 Canada Limited. Ian White, CWB President and CEO, said he is “gratified” with the outcome of the CWB… Read More
Soil moisture conditions across Western Canada are “in reasonably good shape” heading into the 2015 growing season, but there are areas where farmers who might not be accustomed to farming in dry conditions are preparing for a dry start to the year. As Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist with CWB, explains in the audio interview… Read More
The Supreme Court of Canada has decided it will not hear the class action case brought forward by four farmers representing the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board. The decision upheld previous rulings by the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, which rejected most of the group’s $17 billion lawsuit against the federal… Read More