Agriculture committee  For many farmers, the highest single cost they have would be rail transportation. Second to that, as you identified, would be input costs. It's something that certainly needs to be addressed. Let me talk just a bit about the acceptance of this issue. This is an issue among farme

Agriculture committee  I think the two issues are separate. I don't think there's any reason why the cost review and the service review--which is nearly completed--couldn't be conducted at the same time, because they are separate issues.

Agriculture committee  I certainly agree with your statements that western Canadian farmers are captive to rail. The distances are too great for trucking and we don't have access to a river system, so we're dependent on rail. The other factor is that on a percentage basis we export much larger amounts

Agriculture committee  Sorry--on what?

Agriculture committee  One thing is that when a piece of rail line is to be abandoned, there's always salvage value that's part of it. One suggestion I've heard is to take the salvage out of the equation. So if that line ceased to operate, that would be fine, but the infrastructure would stay, and at s

Agriculture committee  This whole idea that if you pay higher freight rates you'll get better service is erroneous. We have 10 years of history to prove that. Freight rates have increased in the last 10 years. Has service gotten any better? Absolutely not. As for this idea you're suggesting that if y

Agriculture committee  But as history has shown, just because you have higher freight rates doesn't mean you get improved service.

Agriculture committee  Can I respond to that?

Agriculture committee  Pardon me?

Agriculture committee  We're not adding costs. We're actually saving.

Agriculture committee  No, actually—

Agriculture committee  I can tell you, Mr. Hoback, that the Canadian Wheat Board saves farmers millions of dollars in logistics every year.

Agriculture committee  By tendering to the grain companies, by our commercial agreements with terminal companies—

Agriculture committee  In fact, the number last year was $40.5 million. That's one of the great things about the Wheat Board--

Agriculture committee  --that the size of our operation allows the logistics—