More on CWB and Saudi Wheat giveaway

[Fransisco]

Prove it wrong then.

Numbers and sources please.

[wd9]

If the CWB bid the highest they would not have gotten the tender. Correct?

So how significant is the $18 per tonne? Would $10 per tonne be acceptable to get the tender? $5? Half a million tonnes is a big chunk and a tender worth getting.

Given today's price and mandate to move that all produced crop, was it a good move by the board to 'lose' $18?

I would have to say yes, it is acceptable. The best price, no. But like poker, you don't know at the time of tender what cards the others are holding, and it seems they needed to win this hand.

[Fransisco]

So then you admit that the wheat board does not extract premiums from the marketplace and does not maximize returns to farmers. That the only way it can get sales is by underbidding everyone else.

[Fransisco]

In other words the much talked about pricing power is a farce.

[bucket]

To make a sale in or at harvest lows with that volume is just plain stupid.

Given the following that the cwb would or should have known at that time:

1. the western canadian farmers had produced a high quality wheat crop.

2. The world is currently short high quality wheat.

Making a sale or at least not communicating to others in the industry to make a sale that would be beneficial to all is incomprehensible.

Seems sort of odd that SIr Ian would write a letter after the fact when in his letter he was supposedly sending an olive branch to the US wheat associates make sale for the good of all of us. Just like robin hood you know. EXCEPT Sir Ian likes to steal from the poor (western canadian farmers) and give to the rich (the Saudis).

Absolute f****** incompetence.

cchurch

The only way the cwb can disprove what has been written is to back it up with fact. That means telling western canadian farmers (who pay their salaries) what the sales figures are. No sense in hiding it any longer - the PRO's, my final returns for 09-10 and the trade are going to set the facts straight. The cwb made a shitty sale for a shitty price and once again western canadian farmers have to put up with the stench.

[vvalk]

Amazing. The wheat associates come out with a letter stating all the numbers which we KNOW to be true because in a seperate release the aussies back up the numbers and Agstar and company retort is to say you can't trust them. Yet we are to trust the CWB with the same old argument that they can't say anything due to sensitive information. OBVIOUSLY the numbers the CWB sells their grain for is not a secret since everyone in the trade knows the selling price.( the Saudi's announced the price ) It is never a secret what the board sells their grain for yet they use the same argument and think us farmers are so stupid to fall for it. Wait, (AGSTAR) some of us are.

I am getting so frustrated with this 70 year debate. Its the same thing over and over again. In the past month or so the CWB HAS f'D UP 3 massive times. The Saudi sale, the durum fiasco and recently the malt/cashplus. Each time they have been challenged outright with facts backed up by a number of sources. Yet the CWB does NOT even tried to defend itself once with any numbers. They really don't think they have too. Just demonize everyone else but trust us. The way I see it is like this. I think the CWB truly, in its massive arrogance looks at itself as a god like figure in its own religion. It challenges government like it is above the law and keeps its "followers" with the least info as possible so that it will not be over thrown. Just look at the answers by people like ASGSTAR or Burbert etc and tell me that there is not some sort of religious argument. Just have faith right AGSTAR.

[malleefarmer]

One of the inherant problems with singel desk in a huge world crop year is they have to make sales and without stating the theres only one way to do it.

In Aust at the moment there are i think six pool operators accumulating grain during harvest.

All of the pool operators bar one are not participating in the market at the moment.

Many pool operators have picked up marketing staff from the old AWB and a off the cuff comment was appently made a grower meeting by one such staff meber who works for a alternate pool operator, said they will not sell in current market as they have to maximize growers returns wereas previously it didnt matter as we had the grain and markets all to ourselves.

[seabass]

20000000 bushels at $.48 off I believe. Buy Buy christmas bonus'

[bucket]

Speaking of bonuses - do cwb staff have to wait a year and a half for their bonus. Since they all believe the crap about the cwb religion I wonder how many would live waiting for their 08 salary. And if you base it on performance and returns to the farmer decline then so goes the bonus. And for performance standard lets use the high price year. If they can't match it then no bonus. And if its 30% below then maybe a wage cut would be in the cards. And if they don't sell durum like this year until mid may - well then maybe some layoffs would be in order.

If GM only sold 15% of their cars for the year you can bet there would be massive layoffs.

[stubblejumper]

Does it really matter what the CWB does? the Farmers for just me would bitch about anything they did.

[Zaphod]

Wow SJ, strong counter-argument.

Just so you know, this info about prices doesn't just come from the US Wht Associates. It was actually reported on weeks ago by a respected European publisher, F.O. Licht.

[furrowtickler]

Stubble, it does matter b/c there is no choice.

[TOM4CWB]

Stubble,CChurch and Agstar77;

Just as soon as you start paying the cost of buyback licenses, for my farm to actually engage in premium marketing sales with customers: then you would have the ethical right to complain about our need for a responsible marketing system.

The CWB can simply take the $20-40/t out of PPO basis, PPO contingency funds, or the pool accounts with no restrictions or accountability on an individual sale.

There is no self discipline forcing the CWB to sell our grain at market value... other than our squawking and squealing about their lack of intelligent marketing savvy.

Isn't it about time you folks grew up and stopped treating this like a religious cult... it is our money you are wasting to... not just yours!!!

[highwayman]

Stubble, we all know that it is the concept of your neighbors making a single red cent more than yourself that completely distresses you, but howcan you continue to be so blatanly blinded by your ideology and ignore the overwhelming evidence in front of you that the CWB is performing poorly. You continue to refer to the "Farmer for Just Me" when it is in fact you that has taken the selfish approach to your methods when you continue to deny Western Canadian Farmers the freedoms that they in turn would be more than happy to give you.
The next time you speak arrogantly of the Farmers for just me, have a good look in the mirror and think about who really is all about himself. There truly are none so blind as those who choose not to see.

[smallguy]

Not taking sides here B--U--T how many of us sold that $16-16.50 canola a couple of years ago for ten dollars later on. If you did were does that put your marketing skills compared to the CWB??