Then-federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (second from right) announces G3’s plan to take a majority stake in CWB in April 2015 in Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Farmers’ CWB class action lawsuit gets certified

Suit claims federal government wrongly used farmers' money to help privatize the Wheat Board

Reading Time: 4 minutes A class action lawsuit alleging the government of Canada and G3 Canada Ltd. unlawfully used millions of farmer dollars to privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has been certified after wending its way through the courts for 10 years. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin delivered his written judgment Tuesday in Winnipeg, clearing the […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

CWB class-action suit a step closer to litigation

Manitoba Court of Appeal overrules lower court, allows case to seek certification

Reading Time: 3 minutes A proposed class-action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging millions of dollars of farmers’ money was improperly used to privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) in 2012, is a step closer to certification and litigation, says Stewart Wells, chair of the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board, which is backing the suit. The […] Read more


Rt. Hon. Don Mazankowski (CNW Group/The Family of Don Mazankowski)

Former federal ag minister Don Mazankowski, 85

Long-time Alberta Tory MP deemed a 'minister of everything'

Reading Time: 2 minutes A private memorial is planned for long-time Alberta MP Don Mazankowski, whose work in the cabinets of prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark included a stint as Canada’s minister of agriculture. Mazankowski, the MP for the east-central Alberta riding of Vegreville from 1968 to 1993, died late Tuesday at age 85, his family said […] Read more

Since the WGRF’s inception in 1981, it has helped develop hundreds of wheat and barley varieties.

Take a new look at the Western Grain Research Foundation

The organization is ready to embark on the next 40 years of funding vital crop and agronomic research to benefit western Canadian growers

Reading Time: 5 minutes When you do a job well for a long time, it can sometimes go unnoticed — people simply get used it. That’s why every once in a while it’s good to take a step back and see things with fresh eyes. Agricultural research, for instance — just gets done. New varieties come out regularly, new […] Read more


U.S. varieties such as Faller and Prosper once had a 20 per cent yield advantage over CWRS, but the arrival of new varieties such as Brandon has narrowed the difference.

Canada Northern wheat class struggles for acreage

It turns out that it’s hard to knock CWRS off its perch as the preferred wheat class for customers and farmers

Reading Time: 5 minutes Some touted it as the new high-yielding wheat class that would free farmers from the rigid standards of CWRS, but nearly four years after its creation, Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR) hasn’t made much of a dent in Prairie wheat acreage. Some predicted CNHR’s acres would rival or even surpass Canada Western Red Spring. The […] Read more

Saskatchewan MP David Anderson, shown here at a 2014 event hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide, has announced he won’t seek re-election in October. (DavidAnderson.ca)

Former Conservative ag critic won’t run again

Reading Time: 2 minutes A former Conservative agriculture critic best known for his work on the Canadian Wheat Board file won’t return to the House of Commons after this fall’s election. David Anderson, MP for the southwestern Saskatchewan riding of Cypress Hills-Grasslands since 2000, announced Monday he won’t seek re-election on Oct. 21. Anderson, 61, didn’t give a specific […] Read more


Farmer Walking Through Field Checking Wheat Crop

Time to take control

When it comes to the future of Canada’s grains sector, no one is steering the ship. We can’t let that continue

Reading Time: 6 minutes In September, I challenged farmers to think about how Canada’s agricultural production should be branded. I questioned how consumers and foreign buyers view the commodities we produce. And most importantly, I wanted every farmer to ask themselves if production practices they use add or diminish that brand. That column upset some farmers. Readers felt my […] Read more

Whether you were for it or against, a proper study has never done to measure the impact of the end of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Why don’t we know?

Whether you were in favour of changing the CWB or against it, isn’t it time we get clear, unbiased answers about what the impact has been?

Reading Time: 6 minutes Ask any western grain farmer what is significant about August 1, 2012, and most will tell you it was the day the federal government eliminated the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly on the sale and export of wheat and barley from Western Canada. Some farmers will refer to it as the “grain marketing freedom day.” Others […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

CWB class action suit takes step forward

Reading Time: 3 minutes A proposed class action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging farmers’ money helped privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), is another step closer, says Anders Bruun, one of the lawyers working on the suit. In a written ruling released Monday, Master Shayne Berthaudin of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench ruled against the […] Read more

The falling number test requires laboratory-like conditions, and is usually only done at selected central locations when there is a general concern about sprout damage.

Better than meets the eye?

Canada’s quality-control system still has a lot of support, but some are calling for grades to be determined by machines, not the human eye

Reading Time: 4 minutes Is that No. 2 CWRS just as good for milling and baking as a No. 1? Or does that No. 1 CWRS have some quality damage that can’t be seen with the naked eye, making it no better than a No. 2? The answer could be yes in both cases, sometimes, in cases that might […] Read more