Some farmers call for the Canadian Wheat Board to be re-established

Ripened wheat ready for harvest in a large crop field near Maple Creek, Saskatchewan on August 21, 2013. (Larry MacDougal / The Canadian Press)

SWAN RIVER, Man. - Some Prairie farmers are not giving up their fight for the Canadian Wheat Board.

A group of producers from parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan wants the federal government to bring back the board and its single desk for selling wheat and barley.

The Canadian Wheat Board Alliance says the former Conservative government made a mistake when it privatized the board and sold it to the G3 Global Grain Group.

Kyle Korneychuk, an alliance spokesman, says the privatization has cost farmers money and thousands of people their jobs.

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says he is very concerned about the financial situation of farmers since the loss of the wheat board.

Alliance members also wonder what will happen to the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba when short-term federal subsidies end next year.