NFU REPORT

[wade]

or possibly??? when sworm in, you take an oath to act in the best interests of CWB reguardless of your own personal beliefs or what is really right or wrong or what the masses want

[LWeber]

Agstar:

Who at the Board of Directors table has the ability to run a 7 billion dollar corporation?

If you don't want to name them - how many of the 15?

Who at that same table would know the difference of a good sale or a poor sale?

Where is the sales data collected to compare their sales to? Acredited agents? Sales staff?


Pars:

No thats not what i meant. Every ag minister has a small group outside of Ottawa that are his ears/eyes and conscience.

A select group or chosen individuals are giving the Minister advice.

Who are they?

[Fransisco]

So not telling the truth is in the best interest of the board? Good luck with that.

[agstar77]

Maybe you could get retiring execs from GM to run the CWB, GM used to be a big corporation. Competence doesn't seem to be abundent in the private sector.

[Kodiak]

Prior to entering the building Mr. White talked about the importance of the CWB and its single desk bringing real value to farmers. Now that he's on the inside, when its value is scrutinized or benchmarked all we get is the same old predictable instantaneous press releases we've always gotten. The assumptions were invalid. The numbers were too simplistic. The premise was flawed.

Any fresh new perspectives that could have been brought to bear, any objectivity that comes with a different background has taken a back seat - replaced with the same old pattern that has existed since 1998. Anyone of us could write his press releases for him. We've heard it all before.

Parsley's (qand other's) no nonsense questions about overhead reductions, improved efficiencies and accountability? Nowhere have I seen even an acknowledgment that that's part of the job. Only defensive reactions to the legitimate questions anyone dares ask.

Where's the vision? Where's the leadership? Where's the change?

Puppet strings? Yes, they're being pulled alright.

[bucket]

They already have execs with the same mindframe as gm running the cwb. Why do you think the comments you read are being written. The ceo's are useless at both corporations.

And as far as giving anyone a severance for underperformance parsley - thats bloody nonsense.

[agstar77]

And who would you appoint to run this ship? The Gene pool seems to be limited.

[Kodiak]

The gene pool is not limited. I think it’s just that anyone with the smart genes knows the ship is sinking, and aren’t interested.

The problem is structural. Dramatic re-engineering is the only thing that will keep it afloat. Much more flexibility in the design is needed - plus an off-ramp. When, or if, the Feds and the BOD ever recognize that, the CWB will have a future. Competent management will be found. But if neither the government nor the BOD does anything with it, it will drift aimlessly about and eventually sink under the weight of controversy and irrelevancy.

[kato]

I think if we sat down and were honest with ourselves we'd say that we've known the real problem for a long time. It's just that up to now we've always found some way to work things around and pull rabbits out of our hats. We've been lucky so many times, like when the dollar tanked, and low grain prices masked just how vulnerable we are.

The plain truth is that what we have now does not work.

So what do we do? The more I think about it, the more it seems like the best way out of our troubles is for us to do it ourselves. We've seen what big business, and their buddies in government can come up with to blow new producer plants out of business. It's the same way they killed the fairly large Canadian packers that were here when the Americans moved to Alberta. They will do it again whenever they see a potential competitor.

I think Canadian cattle producers need to take the industry back one fat steer at a time. Quietly, and under the radar. People like Randy K and grassfarmer have already started doing it, and we need more cattle to go directly from the farm to the consumer. There has never been more interest in buying directly from producers, whether meat, fruit or vegetables. The time is perfect to capitalize on this.

Any overt move to set up a large operation will be a target for the Cargill's of the world, and would get pounded. However, if the culture of this country became one where consumers could connect easily and directly with producers, there is a possibility that enough cattle could come out of the corporate control that the market would not be so easy for them to manipulate.

We need to be front and center of the "Buy Local" movement. We need to encourage it, and participate if we can.

We have small abbatoirs all over the place in Manitoba. They've all been around for years. They have the skills to produce a processed product that's light years ahead of the stuff coming out of the big plants. Beef that's processed the way it's supposed to be. Hung for the right length of time, and cut to order. This is a huge advantage that we're ignoring. This would be a good direction for our producer organizations to focus on.

How much better for the economy if local cattle are processed at one of the many small abbatoirs that already exist in this country, thereby helping the local economy with that spinoff money. Instead of pumping millions in government and our checkoff money into large projects doomed to failure, we should be putting smaller amounts into smaller existing slaughter facilities that have been in business for years and are staffed by people who have experience in the business.

Money should be invested in inspection services and upgrades made to bring local facilities up to federal standards, so that the beef from these plants can find a home anywhere in or out of the country. Make it simpler for these plants to move the beef, and we may find them bidding on our cattle in competition with the big boys. Being closer to the final market could be the advantage they need to make it work, and it would all be under the noses of big business. These small plants can form business relationships with local buyers that the big plants just don't have the time or connections to make.

I know not everyone wants to get into the retail business, and everyone likely shouldn't. Individual cattle producers wouldn't have to get directly into retail if these smaller plants were allowed to function and expand.

If we had a business climate that made it easier for those who do want to go to retail to do it, it would have the effect of making things better for all of us.

Just my thoughts....

[Sawbones]

Kato I know there is a market for what you propose but in reality it is very small. The capital cost of processing and marketing a few head is too high. There is a lot of merit in having mid size plants that can process animals within a smaller geographical location (within 4 hours trucking or 250 miles) This would be better for the animals and the local economy. Yes we could warehouse them in huge feedlots in southern Alberta but we can already hear the sounds of the environmental impact studies and the cost of moving grain thousands of miles. We have an opportunity to take back and even expand our industry. You have a plant being built in Winnipeg by producers. There is also a viable plant in southern Saskatchewan at Neudorf. The Balzac plant can be restored. These plants would be large enough to be efficient (300-500 head/day) and yet responsive to producers as well as consumers. You can't fly low enough to get below the radar of the major packers. The major problem is getting producers concerned enough to pull together to actually address the situation. These plants can be operational at a finance charge of less than $20/head. It will however take commitment and a huge operating fund to get the project started. It will also take a coordinated effort on the part of a number of producer groups.

[parsley]

LW,

I'm afraid I'm not diplomatic enough to be in the ag minister's small group, nor am I interested in fawning for favor or placement. But the voices carrying the message from the West needs their vocal chords (not cords) severed because the music is out of time. Pars

[bucket]

Well anyone that has a genuine interest in doing the best for farmers would be a fine candidate. Let's see, if you gave a shit about the job you were doing and the morons below you didn't would you:

a. Let them write submoronic press releases and sign your name to them.
b. Fire them and fill them with like minded hard working individuals.
c. Lower yourself to their level and feel good about becoming incompetent and wonder why people want you displaced.

Its not hard to motivate people given the current economic conditions - do your job or find a new one and the best of luck to you.

Its too bad white a lame duck useless ceo. His qualifications should have allowed him too evaluate what is going on in the canadian grain industry and make improvements.