Bye Bye cwb

[parsley]

Agri-ville actually set up the entire blog Parsley's Notebook for me, wmoebis.

From the beginning, I got permission, to post items from AV on Parsley's Notebook, as well as to link back and forth.

AV also encouraged me to place my posts on both PN and on AV, which I rarely do.

When you post on AV, your name is presented world wide. For example, anyone interested can pursue wmoebis futher and click on
http://www.411.ca/wp.html and type in
w and then type in moebis

I respect that you have taken ownership of your comments.

Agriculture and farming blogs regularly link to each other. And I have always felt that a Western farmers' blog was so important, that I dedicated my time to Agriville, who has spent years making it successful and fully participatory.

At one time, it was mainly Tom4CWB and I talking back and forth to each other on AV, lol, and nagging a few other farmers to join in.

And it seems you did. And always with interesting questions. Parsley

[wmoebis]

Thank you charliep; Your reply definatly brings up more questions as you have indicated.

I was not refering to the $20 market as much as the market that fallowed that. Lets say the $24 market that this grain was sold into. I don't think that the way our system works today, that the AE's should make profit on my grain through grain pricing and the cost of doing buisness. That money (well deserved) is made on elevation tariffs, cleaning charges etc.

If they make sales they will increase their handling share and cover the cost of marketing. If this doesn't cover they could increase tariffs. Until a point they price themselves out of buisness and we choose a competator.

Do you think that they didn't make these big sales because the CWB was asking TOO much for our grain? Or the CWB couldn't make these sales directly because they were asking TOO much for our grain?

[wmoebis]

Thank You Parsley, with all due respect.

It definately reminds me to becarefull of what I say on the net for all the world to see.

I try to remain objective all isues of grain debates wether that is producing, marketing,grading or any other issue that arises.

[parsley]

Your question, wmoebis, precipitated my commentary, and that's a compliment to you. Thinking about the other's opinion and talking with each other about it, is what it's all about, isn't it, wmoebis? Farmer to farmer. Each one diffferent, and each with our own stall.

If I just didn't kick the door down on mine so damn often, and escape, right charliep? LOLOL Pars

[may-be]

JDGreen. You and I are sure different thinkers. I for one think if you can grow wheat you can grow other things. Some things also I think Are better for your soil management.
I hope you don't take offence to my reply. I respect your thoughts. Only telling you how I see things.
I was also one off the farmers that had to stop and buy some listerine after selling my wheat.

[JDGreen]

not offended at all. Wheat/Durum/Barley are lower risk in general, and a neccesity in our area to keep tilth, O.M, weeds, diseases, moisture conservation in check. We have tried for years to pinch rotations and try different crops. The end result is always having to seed a certain amount of wheat/durum/barley.

[Fransisco]

I'd love to be able to leave the CWB ghetto simply by growing other crops.

But I can't.

The reason is agronomic. I just don't have the crop choices yet to be able to leave board crops behind. It'll eventually happen, maybe when my kids start farming, but for now I'm stuck dealing with the gong show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ox1Tore9nw

[TOM4CWB]

wmoebis,

Our sale in Feb of 2008, was through a specific co., a specific tonnage they were short and needed filled, for delivery in the Mar, April, May time period.

Personal relationships, in premium markets, create these kinds of opportunites. Other western Canadian growers did participate in this sale to a very limited extent. The grain co's were simply 'sweeping out the bins' and were willing to pay the price to get the wheat... IF it could be bought. US grain co's also have personal relationships... that Canadian grain co's don't have and can not access.

Doing the CWB buyback would have cost close to $500/t... and negated any possible benefit and left us with all the transaction risk. The cue up the PPO system creates... is simply to create a reserve pool for international millers, at western Canadian wheat farmers expense. For a seed grower... who can be left hanging with stocks and no home for them EXCEPT the CWB pool; this is a very UNFAIR system.

[charliep]

wmoebis

Suspect that you also have to ask how big the market was for
$20 whatever wheat in either case. Once that demand was
satisfied, would it be any surprise about the market collapse
(realize making this comment in hindsight).

Anyone who wanted to capture this rally in the post period
would likely have had to use the futures market to hedge but
the extreme volatility put anyone at risk who used this route
(had to have a big amount of working capital to cover margin).

This is all history now but I often wonder what the impact of
western Canadian farmers pricing 7 mln tonnes of their wheat
under the ppo programs at something around $7/bu or less and
a CWB that covered their pooling risk over a 18 month period.
The midwinter put the CWB about half way through this risk
management process.

The CWB says they have improved their risk management
programs but all I see is a fpc basis that was widened $20 to
$40/tonne (easy to cover risk when the CWB has no competition
and can pass along any cost they want).

Off topic I know but the question is which has less impact on US
prices. Several Canadian grain companies/individual farmers
making marketing decisions or the monster CWB who can make
large volume decisions either themselves or through an
accredited exporter.

[darren442]

O.k i guess a few guys toes got stepped on . I agree that canada grows some amazing wheat to bad we breed our wheat for quality and not for quantity i've seen this first hand with two farmers one half mile in sask and the other half mile in North dakota so a mile apart. Both growing HRSW same soil pretty close fert program everything was close. The difference in yield over the average was 40 bu.

And i do believe wheat could be taken out of a rotation if someone really wanted to. Over in ireland it was preached that you never grow wheat back to back becuase of very high disease. I know a farmer who did grow it the second year and they were right but the third there was less disease and so on.After 5 years the wheat was disease free and his yields went up.

Lots of information has been preached for years on how to grow crops up here, and now we are finding out those ways are damaging to soil , reducing our yields and it's just plain wrong.

Were there is a will there is a way. theres guys who grow canola back to back year after year to.

So tell me why you have to grow wheat if the odd guy doesn't want to.