Canadian Wheat Board

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About us

View the interactive version of the timeline:
Ten years of farmer control

1999

• The CWB’s governance passes into the hands of farmers. Ten farmers take their seats on the newly created CWB board of directors after being democratically elected by their peers to steer the organization.
• The board of directors invites Canada’s Auditor General to review the CWB’s operations and governance.
• A new policy for New Generation Cooperatives is approved, enabling all Prairie farmers to participate in value-added processing of their own grain.
• Consultations begin with farmers to discuss plans for new payment options that can provide greater pricing flexibility and improved cash flow.

2000

• The first Producer Payment Options (PPOs) are introduced. For the first time, farmers can choose their own wheat price outside of the CWB pool through the forerunners of today’s Fixed Price and Basis Price contracts.
• CWB elected directors initiate annual accountability meetings with farmers across the Prairies.
• The first “Combine-to-Customer” courses are initiated to familiarize Prairie farmers with the international marketing process and CWB operations.

2001

• The board of directors initiates a process to help determine the value and performance of the single desk for wheat producers. Dr. Richard Gray, professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Saskatchewan is engaged to develop a methodology. Calculations are done for two benchmarks for the 2000-01 wheat pool.
• The Early Payment Option is introduced, offering farmers access to a much greater percentage of the value of their grain at delivery.

2002

• The Auditor General’s report is released, showing the financial accounting and reporting systems of the CWB are well-managed, economical and efficient. The CWB commits to an action plan for improvements in performance measurement, governance, strategic planning and information technology.
• The first long-term strategic plan is approved by the CWB board of directors.
• Corporate performance is examined in four focus areas – farmer, customer, mandate and corporate – and shared with farmers via the annual report.

2003

• Quantifiable, numerical corporate performance measures are developed by the board of directors to help annually assess CWB performance. These measures continue to evolve over the next few years.
• The Pre-delivery Top-up is introduced, providing additional cash for farmers on top of their cash advances.

2004

• An annual conference with farmer alumni of CWB Combine-to-Customer courses is initiated as a means of directly engaging producers in discussions about the CWB’s long-term direction.
• The feed barley pool is split into two periods to give better price signals to farmers.
• Guaranteed Delivery Contracts (GDCs) for feed barley are created to provide timely delivery opportunities for farmers when sales opportunities arise.

2005

• Direct links between corporate performance measures and employee performance/ remuneration are implemented.
• The Value-added Incentive Program (VIP) is created to promote the direct delivery of wheat, durum and malting barley to mills and malting plants in Western Canada.

2006

• A new future vision for the CWB is unveiled by the board of directors, outlining a transformation into a powerful global player, fully controlled by Prairie farmers, with commercial businesses, partnerships and joint ventures to generate additional investment value for farmers.
• Two new value-added incentive programs are launched. “Field to Plate” allows niche-market processors to source grain directly from farmers. A revised New Generation Co-op policy gives participating farmers access to North American sales prices for their grain.
• Corporate performance results are reported to farmers via the annual report. Benchmarks include satisfaction indices for farmers, customers and employees, as well as operational effectiveness indicators (net price spread to competitors, percentage of grain marketed, contribution from other revenue sources and net demurrage/despatch).

2007

• The Delivery Exchange Contract is launched. For the first time, farmers can exercise some control over the timing of their deliveries.
• The Federal Court of Canada upholds the principle of farmer control of the CWB by stopping the federal government from unilaterally removing barley marketing from the single desk through regulatory change.
• An innovative new weather network is launched by the CWB and WeatherBug, designed to provide farmers with better information for farm management.
• A Wheat Storage Program is implemented that pays farmers to store their best-quality wheat for premium customers.

2008

• The CashPlus program is introduced for malting barley, marking a fundamental change. It offers farmers a cash-price contract while retaining the benefits of the single desk.
• The Federal Court of Canada upholds farmer control of the CWB by removing a “gag order” imposed by the federal government that had prevented the CWB from participating in the debate over the future of grain marketing.
• FlexPro, a new, year-round wheat pricing option, is introduced.
• GrainFlo is introduced to provide farmers with more control over the timing of their deliveries.