OTTAWA, October 20, 2005 – Reg Alcock, Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), today accepted the recommendation of the CWB’s farmer-controlled board of directors to re-appoint Adrian Measner as president and chief executive officer of the CWB.

The proposed re-appointment has been forwarded to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for review.

“Mr. Measner has a long and accomplished history with the CWB. In all aspects of his career, he has been focused on one primary goal - finding ways to boost the incomes of western Canadian farmers,” said Mr. Alcock. “His work at the CWB throughout his career, together with a solid personal farm background, has made him the ideal candidate for this position.”

CWB board chair Ken Ritter said Mr. Measner had accomplished a great deal in his first three years at the helm of the CWB, including a wholesale restructuring of the organization.

“As CEO, Adrian’s top priority has been to ensure accountability and efficiency for farmers through an emphasis on CWB performance and results, including creation of a clear performance-measurement system,” Ritter said. “He is well aware of the challenges that face Prairie farmers and is executing the board’s strategic direction to position the CWB for the future.”

Mr. Measner first joined the CWB in 1974. Prior to his first appointment to the top post at the CWB in late 2002, Mr. Measner held the position of executive vice-president of marketing. He has extensive experience in grain marketing, transportation and international wheat and barley sales. During the 1990s, he led the CWB through a marketing transition that reflected major changes in the structure of the international grain market, moving from reliance on a handful of traditional customers to a highly-competitive marketing environment involving 200 customers in 70 countries around the world.

He was raised on a farm at Holdfast, Saskatchewan, educated at the University of Saskatchewan and has operated a small grain farm in Manitoba.

The CWB is a farmer-controlled organization that markets wheat and barley grown by western Canadian producers. It is the largest single seller of wheat and barley in the world. In 1998, the Canadian Wheat Board’s legislation was amended to create a modern corporate governance system, including a 15-member board of directors, of which a two-thirds controlling majority is elected by Prairie farmers.

-30-