CWB election aftermath

According to the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, the Canadian Wheat Board election is flawed. Retired and hobby farmers skew the election results say the Wheat Growers. On the other hand, they say bona fide farmers have rejected the election process. It smacks a bit of sour grapes, but the Wheat Growers do have some valid points. For instance, there should be a minimum tonnage threshold before someone gets to vote. And yes, a 41 per cent voter turnout is poor. However, it’s tough to get a good voter turnout in any sort of election these days. The marketing choice crowd is arguably more vocal than the other side. You’d think they’d be motivated to get on the voter’s list and cast a ballot. While the election process is not ideal, it demonstrates a lot of support among producers for the CWB and single desk selling. If you look at the detailed election results, nearly 58 per cent of the final ballot votes were cast for single desk candidates. Four of the five newly-elected directors are single desk supporters. The one director that supports marketing choice held on by a slim margin. Farmers are sharply divided on the CWB issue, but there’s little evidence of any significant shift in attitudes. I’m Kevin Hursh.