Toolbox
Newsroom
1998
Advisory Committee News Release:CWB system harvests best prices for farmers
Date: July 3, 1998
Winnipeg -- The effective movement of wheat and barley this past year is further proof that grains handled by the Canadian Wheat Board capture the maximum prices and efficiently utilize the transportation system, said the Advisory Committee to the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).
At its June 25 meeting, the Advisory Committee was told that the CWB had met 100 per cent of its West Coast and 102 per cent of its East Coast delivery targets to date in the 1997-98 crop year. Conversely, all non-CWB shippers have met only 96 per cent of their West Coast and 59 per cent of their East Coast targets.
"Through their market analysis and crop surveillance, CWB staff realized that crop values would fall during the crop year," said Chair Art Macklin. "As a result of this team planning system, they were able to capitalize on those predictions and maximize revenue to farmers by executing a large portion of the sales and movement earlier in the year."
The Committee pointed out that the grain companies, railways and CWB have representatives on the Car Allocation Policy Group (CAPG). At the start of the crop year a capacity plan is put together by CAPG for the entire year. As a result, everyone in the industry knew that the CWB was planning to move most of the grain early in the year when values were highest and that less rail cars would be required in the spring.
"It's surprising that Canadian Pacific Rail is saying they now have 14,000 cars in the fleet and are blaming poor planning," said Committee member Bill Rosher. "The capacity plans last July indicated that CP would only need 9800 cars at this time of the year."
"As a farmer you have to harvest the crop when it's ready to harvest," Macklin added. "The same is true of movement; we need to harvest the good prices when the good prices are available."
The Advisory Committee consists of 11 members elected for a four-year term by farmers from across Western Canada. The Committee advises the CWB on issues and policy matters dealing with its operations, and provides communication between western grain producers and the CWB.
For more information, contact:
Mr. Art Macklin, Chair
Tel: (403) 532-0677
Mr. William Rosher
Tel: (306) 463-6695
Mr. Micheal Halyk|
Tel: (306) 728-3056
Mr. William Nicholson
Tel: (204) 759-236
