U.S. and Canadian Wheat Farmer Leaders Call for Open Wheat Trade in Op-Ed

ARLINGTON, Virginia — In an op-ed published in Canada’s “News Hub Nation” Feb. 8, 2017, U.S. Wheat Associates Chairman and wheat farmer Jason Scott and Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association President and wheat farmer Levi Wood called on the Canadian government to take the steps needed to allow “a free flow of grain in both directions across the border to improve the efficiency of the grain handling systems in both countries and eliminate artificial price distortions that frustrate farmers.”

In the op-ed, Scott and Wood said: “Since the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s government monopoly control over the marketing of western Canadian wheat … one of the most significant changes to come from marketing freedom for wheat farmers has been the growth in sales of Canadian wheat into the U.S. market.”

“Currently, Canadian farmers delivering wheat into the U.S. receive equitable treatment with grain grown south of the border; however, because of legislation and regulation that existed for years before the marketing freedom changes came to western Canada, U.S. producers who currently deliver wheat into Canada automatically receive the lowest grade, regardless of the quality or variety of grain, even if the variety is registered in Canada … This inequity has created significant concerns in the Canadian and U.S. wheat industries, especially given the potential of re-opening the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).”

To read the complete op-ed, please click here.