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There are few things more powerful than the determination of a single farmer. But without doubt, one of them is the resolve of a group of farmers with a common goal. This was the engine that powered the Western Barley Growers Association for over forty years.
WESTERN BARLEY'S LEGACY is the organization's history from the formation in 1977, through numerous campaigns, culminating with the end of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly on August 1, 2012. The influence of these committed farmers reshaped the barley industry in the west and agriculture all across Canada.
The WBGA was so much more than an anti-Canadian Wheat Board movement - they were builders and they were solution providers. They identified injustice and bad policy and they provided viable, researched alternatives to create better opportunities for farmers. Most of all they were believers in freedom, in the absolute right of each and every farmer to decide their own fate. Their motivation was simple. They wanted to create a better industry for themselves and for future generations. They wanted to leave a legacy.
About the author
Russ Crawford is a fifty year veteran of Canadian agriculture. From a commodity trader for Cargill Ltd in his early years to a country operations manager for the Alberta Wheat Pool and, finally, an agricultural consultant and author, Russ has a lifelong connection to Canada's grain industry. "Legacy" follows his first self published works, Limit Up, a story of the Great Grain Robbery in 1972 and a biography of a Japanese immigrant and Canadian hero called Canadian Samurai. Russ lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his wife of 47 years, enjoying the pleasure of three sons' families which include their wives and seven individually amazing grandchildren.
