Newsroom
2002
September 4, 2002
First e-business service lets farmers submit contracts on-line
Winnipeg – The CWB has launched E-contracting, a new service enabling farmers to submit, change or view contract information on-line. The new service is convenient, secure and easy to use.
Several years of consolidation in the grain industry resulted in the closure of hundreds of smaller elevators, increasing the distance farmers must travel to their local elevator. Prior to the CWB’s introduction of phone-in service last year, farmers could only submit or change their contracts by working through their elevator agent. Now, on-line contracting provides another convenience.
“The E-contracting service was developed in consultation with farmers for farmers,” said Ward Weisensel, Vice-President, Transportation and Country Operations. “In addition to choices farmers already have – phoning the CWB Business Centre or dealing directly with their Farm Business Representative – farmers can now submit contracts from their home or business office at their convenience.”
E-contracting is available through the CWB Web site, at www.cwb.ca. To use this service, farmers need Internet access, an eight-digit producer identification number and a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN).
Farmers who submit contracts on-line will receive a paper confirmation in the mail for insertion in their permit book. Farmers who have questions about the new service or want to find out how to receive a PIN number can call the Business Centre at 1-800-275-4292 or send an e-mail to questions@cwb.ca
“This is a first step in an initiative to offer more services on-line,” Weisensel said. Future e-business projects may include putting cash advance information on-line, e-permit applications and developing e-business services for elevator managers.
Farmers who access the CWB’s Web site will see a newly designed site that features sections designed for them, as well as their customers, elevator managers, the general public and the media. Along with the site’s redesign, a new search engine makes it easier to find specific information on the site.
The CWB first launched its Web site in 1996 and, since that time, it has consistently ranked as one of the most popular agriculture sites in Western Canada, averaging
40,000 visitors a month. In 1998, the site was recognized with a Signature Award for “Best Web Site” from the Advertising Association of Winnipeg.
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is one of the largest wheat and barley marketers in the world. As one of Canada’s biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less the costs of marketing, to Prairie farmers.
For further information, contact:
Louise Waldman
Media Relations Manager
Tel: (204) 983-3101
Cell: (204) 227-0623