Prairie barley growers will get a direct say in the future of the Canadian Wheat Board.

 Prairie barley growers will get a direct say in the future of the Canadian Wheat Board.  Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl says they will be able to vote on a plebiscite to be held next year on the board's export monopoly.  Jeff Nielsen, President of the Western Barley Growers Association feels the plebiscite is unnecessary.  He says it pits farmer against farmer and in the end barley is a very small part of the boards operation. Ken Ritter chairs the farmer controlled board of directors.  He says news of a producer plebiscite on barley is raising questions after it took the government so long to come forward and the fact that nothing was mentioned for wheat.  Ritter is meeting today with Federal Ag Minister Chuck Strahl to review a number of issues, among the topics to be discussed the proposed plebiscite.  A voters' list and questions will be announced after the wheat board's director elections, which are currently underway.  In the meantime, the search is on for a company to hold the plebiscite.  Agriculture Canada says it wants a vote held between January and March 2007.