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CEO's message
Message from Adrian Measner, President and CEO
When we negotiate with our customers – whether it is here in Canada or around the world – they know that there is only one source for the product that we're selling. They know that if they want to buy western Canadian wheat, durum or barley, they will have to deal with the CWB. They know that what they will get from us is consistent quality, assurance of supply and excellent customer service.
They also know that we know our product, that we're tough negotiators and that we'll do everything in our power to ensure that the value of the sale reflects the value of the product. We can do this because nobody else sells the total quality package that we do.
This kind of negotiating power is what every successful business seeks to achieve in its marketing efforts. From John Deere to Microsoft to Lexus… successful businesses develop brand loyalty and then use that loyalty to extract a premium from the marketplace.
But if the product can be obtained from another source – if customers have the choice to buy it from several different competitors – then the ability to negotiate from a position of power disappears. Buyers then have access to an open market, as far as supply is concerned. This is what has happened in Ontario and this is what would happen if the CWB lost its ability to be the only source of Prairie wheat, durum and barley. The result would not be a dual market where farmers can choose between selling their grain through an effective single-desk seller like the CWB or on the open market. What farmers would be left with is an open market where customers in Canada and around the world can choose to deal with whoever gives them the lowest price for farmers' grain.