One Stop Shop For Election Issues Affecting Grain Farmers

Oct 17, 2019

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association has put together a one stop shop for Federal election issues affecting grain farmers.

Back in September, the farmer-run advocacy organization sent five questions to each of the registered parties on topics they thought would be of interest to prairie grain producers.

The policy questions cover industry priorities such as trade and market access, road and rail infrastructure to move goods and carbon pricing.

The responses from the Conservative Party, Liberals, NDP, Green Party, Christian Heritage Party and Marijuana Party have been posted to the Association's website.

Wheat Growers Executive Director, Dave Quist, says an area of interest was several of the parties indicating they would support changes to the Canada Grain Act.

"We see that as an opportunity going forward, whether it's a majority or a minority Government, that we can go back to them say, ‘Okay, you said you're going to work on this, We'll support you on that.”

On the Wheat Growers website, they say many guidelines are outdated, adding the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission need to be optimized to deliver value.

"Not all requirements are appropriate and required services could be offered more efficiently and cost effectively," it reads.

Overall, Quist says he's also hearing from the members of the group disappointed in all major parties, as agriculture isn't being discussed in the campaign.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.