The deadline for the Canadian Wheat Board election of directors is upon us, with ballots needing to be postmarked no later than Dec. 3.
"All eligible voters in Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 should now have their ballots," said Ian Craven, election co-ordinator. "Prairie grain producers interested in having a voice in who serves on the CWB board of directors are encouraged to complete their ballots and return them in the official postage-paid envelope provided."
District 5, which includes Northwest Saskatchewan, extends from the eastern border of Saskatchewan to just east of Edmonton.
Two candidates are running in the election for District 5: Vicki Dutton and incumbent Allen Oberg.
Dutton, who operates a family farm near Paynton, serves as director of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association.
In 2000, Dutton was named in the Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs by Chatelaine magazine. She is a member of the Western Grains Standards Committee and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and has been a member of the North Saskatchewan River Water Resource Committee.
Since 1990, Dutton has been a manager at Western Grain Trade Ltd., a special crop processing and exporting company founded by Dutton and her husband in 1982.
WGT specializes in niche market opportunities, something Dutton would like to see the Canadian Wheat Board placing more of an emphasis on.
"I believe there's a whole realm of niche marketing that the CWB doesn't even bother with," said Dutton. "The wheat board doesn't serve very many small producers of wheat and barley, it really just serves the multinationals."
Dutton also said the wheat board should offer more accountability and transparency.
"Right now, farmers have very little information about where our wheat is being sold and for what price," said Dutton. She points to John De Pape Ltd. data, showing the CWB final pool return to be consistently below average U.S. street prices.
Dutton said, "Through the last 20 years I've seen a lot of farmers go broke and I keep thinking if they got a little bit more per bushel, would they have gone broke? Would they still be farming today?"
She added she hopes to see a review of the CWB to ensure farmers are getting the best value for their crops and aren't spending too mush getting their product to market.
"My mandate is the best value for farmers by making the CWB accountable, efficient and effective," said Dutton.
Allen Oberg, who was District 5 director for the past two terms, has operated a grain and cattle operation along with his brother near Forestburg, Alta., since 1980. He has been an employee, delegate and director of the Alberta Wheat Pool and chair of the Western Grain Research Foundation.
Unfortunately, Oberg could not be contacted for an interview by press time.
