CWB Bulletin
November 6, 2006 

The Bulletin

At a glance

The CWB has released its formal response to Minister Strahl's hand-picked
task force on marketing choice. The CWB concludes: "It is poor and
irresponsible policy to strip an internationally recognized,
farmer-controlled organization of its market power, propose to replace it
with some minor entity that is intended to take on transnationals, but with
severe structural and capital disadvantages, and then tell farmers it is
their own fault when it fails." The full CWB response is posted on the CWB
Web site under Hot Topics.
The CWB submitted to the federal government on Friday a recommendation for
further increases to 2006-07 initial payments for wheat, durum, feed and
designated barley. Adjustment payments announced Oct. 27 were based on
Aug. 31 recommendations from the CWB and do not reflect the current market
outlook.
Ian McCreary, CWB director, and Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, president of the
Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, will participate in a panel
discussion on the CWB Nov. 7 at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural
Municipalities (SARM) midterm convention in Saskatoon.
With malting barley in short supply this year, farmers are reminded of the
importance of fulfilling their CWB contracts. On selected barley, there are
two major consequences for defaulting: 1) At the request of selectors,
farmers will pay liquidated damages ranging from $6 to $25 a tonne;
2) Farmers will lose accumulated storage payments, which are three cents per
tonne per day for the first 120 days, five cents for days 121 to 180 and nine
cents for day 181 and on.
The CWB will have booths at Red Deer Agri-Trade Nov. 8-11, and at Harvest
Showdown in Yorkton, Nov. 9-11. Farmers are invited to drop by with questions
or to sign up a contract.
A course entitled "CWB Grain Marketing Options and Introduction to Grain
Grading for Farm Women" is being offered Nov. 8-9 at Lakeland College in
Vermilion, AB. For details or to register, call 1-800-661-6490.
CWB offices will be closed Nov. 13 for the Remembrance Day statutory holiday.
Quote...Unquote

The House of Commons passed a concurrence motion Nov. 1 stating:
"that the government prior to any legislative or regulatory action affecting
the mandate of the Canadian Wheat Board as it is currently constituted under
the Canada Wheat Board Act, submit through plebiscite to all those eligible
to vote in Canadian Wheat Board elections, a clear and direct question asking
whether those eligible to vote support or oppose the single desk selling
provisions of the Canadian Wheat Board." All three opposition parties
unanimously supported the motion. The government voted against it.

From elevator to port

During Week 14, five companies submitted bids under the tendering process.
The CWB awarded three contracts for movement 80 cars of wheat to Prince
Rupert and 112 cars of durum to Thunder Bay.
Rail car unloads for all grains for Week 14 were 2,535 at Vancouver, down
from 3,345 the previous week, 931 at Prince Rupert, down from 1,189 the
previous week, 1,741 at Thunder Bay, down from 2,324 the previous week, and
221 at Churchill, down from 512 the previous week.
Primary elevator space for the week ending Nov. 4 was 26 per cent. Primary
elevator space by province: Manitoba - 27 per cent, Saskatchewan - 24 per
cent, and Alberta/British Columbia - 28 per cent.