This is my second article in regards to the Canadian Wheat Board. In my first article, I talked about the history of the Wheat Board, and how it developed. This article will deal with some of the peripheral issues that surround the Wheat Board. Issues that while important, are not central to its existence.

One of the frustrations that have been expressed for many years about the Wheat Board is the Wheat Board’s continued support for the current grain grading system, Kernel Visual Distinction (KVD). KVD is the system that grades wheat #1 red, #2 red etc. It does this basically on visual characteristics of the grain.

This can cause major problems. First, there are underlying causes for changes in wheat color. Not all the changes mean that the milling characteristics of the wheat have changed. An example of this is a frost in the early 1990s that affected durum in the south of the province.

The KVD Wheat Board system graded all the durum as feed. After buying the grain cheaply, the grain companies sold the grain for milling at a massive profit. If the so-called “black box grading” system had been used, farmers would have received much higher prices for their durum. They would have been paid for the protein and other milling characteristics of the grain. (No wonder the grain companies and millers like the current system).

The current KVD system costs farmers in western Canada about $200 million/year, according to Canadian Seed Trade Association second vice-president Jeff Reid (testifying before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in Ottawa on Oct. 3rd). And this does not include losses due to missed opportunity–because new higher yielding grain varieties are not being produced on the prairies.

All in all, it makes one wonder who does the Wheat Board represent, farmers or the millers and grain companies.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament, and I welcome your feedback. Write or call my offices.