CBAN is committed to working with the National Farmers Union to address the underlying causes of the current farm income crisis. This includes work to strengthen and protect current programs that give farmers power in the marketplace such as the Canadian Wheat Board.

Canadian farmers have been living through and struggling to survive the extended farm income crisis which has seen most of the value of their farm products captured by others in the food system. Since 1985 Canadian farms have produced over $1.5 trillion worth of food, feed, and fibre, but have kept only 5% of that value to support their families. The rest has been captured by input companies, banks, railways, and other goods and services suppliers. Farmers are price-takers when buying inputs and when selling their output, and bear the burden on nearly all the risk in the food system. Under these conditions, many have left farming and fewer youth have become farmers. The result we have fewer farmers than ever, average age increasing to near 60, and a minority of young farmers. – National Farmers Union

See the National Farmers Union for detailed reports and submissions to Parliamentary Committees.