The Canadian Wheat Board marked the end of the 2007-2008 crop year with their year-end conference in Winnipeg earlier this afternoon.

     Wheat Board Chairman Larry Hill, a farmer from the Swift Current area, says the big story this past crop year was prices and unprecedented volatility.  He says returns for wheat are almost double what they were a year ago.  He adds that global supply and demand issues created opportunities for Canadian prairie farmers, and said the CWB acted upon these opportunities.

     The new crop year marks 10 years since the CWB Act was amended to pass control of the organization to farmers through a board of directors.  Hill says one of the top priorities of the past decade has been to ensure farmers have the leverage and flexibility to maximize returns.  They have continued to work very hard over the past year on that, with the introduction of programs for pricing and delivery choice, which were Cash Plus for malt barley, Flex Pro for wheat pricing, and Grain Flow for delivery timing.

     Hill mentioned that this will be his final term on the board of directors after being elected and re-elected three times.  He says this November, director elections will be held in five districts throughout Canada by mail-in vote.  He encourages all farmers to participate and vote for candidates they believe will best represent them on the board.