combine to customer program

[jamesb]

bucket,
I'm owner of our farm along with the rest of my family. I refer to myself as a farm manager vs farmer because I think that accuratly describes what I do. As time goes on I find I spend more time in the office , outside of the growing season because I had been able to atract good farm help and I found the financial rewards in the office to be better than working in the shop . Reading the right article, talking the the right person, or going to the right meeting has many many times rewarded me greatly in the future although sometimes at the time I didnt know it. A marketing year like this tells me I have to stay on the ball as margins have shrunk and a mistep can cost me profit.
As far as combine to customer, I would second Toms comment plus the better understanding I got regarding quality issues of the grain I grow, and the discussion and interaction with other farmers all over the west. I find it is refreshing to talk to farmers outside of my local area at meetings like this as the thinking is sometimes different and it broadens my horizons.

[bucket]

I agree about the value of our quality grain and its importance to the world market.

BUT don't you think it should be worth more?

We pay for all the fine work cigi does and yet, at the end of the day we get nothing more for our grain. The cwb has our high quality grain being sold against black sea values, in a year when there is a shortage of high quality, protein, and gluten wheat. They are giving it away to the very customers they trained on how to make better bread using our wheat.

I was impressed with what I learned at the c to c conference but, quite frankly western canadian farmers are making no premium from providing that service. Its a feel good thing. And a costly one at that.

The buyers are grateful for the research done to make our wheat mill better blended with shitty grain from all over but the long and short of it is - they buy as cheap as they can and laugh about the Canadian service commitment they get for free.

[jamesb]

bucket,
I sure won't disagree with you regarding the performance of the CWB. I think its importantant to keep things like CIGI separate and not lump them in with the CWB. CIGI would have a place even if the CWB is gone. Other countries have similar organizations. It's a cost of doing business.

[parsley]

"Its a feel good thing."

Dead on.

Walmart doesn't sponsor an annual "How to Stock a Store" exhibition for their shareholders and invite all their competitors to learn the tricks,.. gratis.., and then send the bill to the shareholders, do they now?

If you want to feel good, go work in a soup kitchen.

There are entire webpages on CGC grain grading and permit holders don't have to pay for your dinner while you're browsing. Pars

[jamesb]

FYI. the following is taken from web site of our compitition south of the border. The US Wheat Associates:

Technical Assistance. USW provides education and information that helps strengthen milling, storage and handling, and end-product industries in countries. In addition to sponsoring participation in technical courses, workshops and seminars, we help milling and baking schools stay current with necessary equipment and resources. We also provide personalized consulting in milling, baking, biscuit and cracker production, pasta and noodle production, and grain storage and handling.

[parsley]

And the USA is

$13.4 TRILLION

in debt. Good business plan? Pars

[jamesb]

Pars
Bottom line for me is that if competitors are promoting their products and we don't it will affect my farm income. One thing that comes to mind for me was several years ago I was looking to sell peas that would'nt make edible specs to a local feed mill. The guy that was figuring the rations wasnt really interested to including peas for protein. What I could see was that alot of the ration information was provided to him by on of the US soybean groups. Of course it would show soy in the best light compared to other feed stocks. I know things have changed since then because money has been spent to promote feed peas. The same can be said for Canola meal.
I know it would be great to have a true laissez-faire system with no intervention but to me its just not probable.

Who is John Galt?

[Jeff Nielsen]

hey Jag
just curious how you week was? I took it years ago as well. I feel it is a good educational tool that,the CWB uses, to invite farmers to attend. I feel there is time when the farmers tour the CWB offices to meet with some of the management team and if the CIGI course runs during a CWB director board meeting, we as directors are there to mingle with the participants between our meetings.
What was your feeling on the course?
thanks
Jeff Nielsen
District 2 Director

[parsley]

jamesb,
Then you'll particularly enjoy CWB Event Seminars. A session for EventBaldness with a hairy gene in the flour; an AntiCeliac Event day et al . Thousands of them to "promote" Kind of like the Board does for pasta companies and flour millers. Helps them put on the advertising budgets.

And Jeff, glad you reused Vader's old propoganda CD, it saves money right?

[Jeff Nielsen]

have to send me a copy Pars, you got my address! as for turning a new leaf, you know me too well Pars to do that.
as to the course it is a good one for producers, put aside the day at the CWB office where, yes you will get the feeling it is self promotion. Other than that going through the Grain Commission and CIGI is excellent.

[Jagfarms]

My feelings of the C to C course.

I am very happy that I attended this course. It is
hard to put into a few words what we took in over
the 5 days.

It was very interesting what is all done at CIGI; I had
no idea what was all involved. They have this same
program for customers that buy the ag
commodities that are produced on Canadian farms.
The information changes from program to program
because of the input they get back from the
farmers and customers that attend the course.
They run the C to C program 6 times a year for
farmers. They are looking for different uses for
commodities we grow. They test out the new
varieties and see what type of qualities they have
for baking, pasta making, etc. and determine if our
customers will like these new varieties. They are
looking for new uses for Durum, lentils chickpeas,
canary seed, etc. We got to try some snack
products made from different pulse crops and saw
some different types of pasta with health benefits
that could be coming into the market in the near
future. They all tasted very good. The micro
brewery was pretty good and we got to sample
fresh beer right out of the brewery which was also
very good.

When we toured the CGC a lot of questions the
participants had before they got here were
answered; questions like: How do the grading
standards change from year to year? etc. Another
question as a farmer I had and have heard from
other farmers: How does a bit of frost or some
other down-grading factor effect the grain if it all
gets ground into flour and made into bread, or
semolina and made into pasta anyway? We got to
see how different grades even different varieties
effect the the end results such as bread, pasta, etc.
It was all very interesting. If I was to read this on a
website I would not believe it like I did seeing it
with my own eyes. We sat in for 5 days and this
only scratched the surface of all the different
testings that are done with each type of variety &
grade, the bottom line is that there is a significant
effect from down-grading factors and different
varieties. I couldn't even begin to tell all there is to
it, but seeing is believing.

In regards to the CWB. They want our input as
farmers and they use our input to make their
decisions. There was a lot of opportunity for us as
farmers to give our input and ask questions. If the
person you wanted to ask a question of was not
there, you could ask for them. They were tracked
down and available to speak to you one on one. We
had a workshop for Producer Payment options and
a session on the WTO both were very interesting. It
felt like the CWB really listened to what we had to
say and they are making changes from the input
that is given to them by farmers. There was a
reverse question and answer session where we as
farmers could give input on all their different
programs such as grain flow and farmer pricing
options. The CWB is also making some changes to
their website. They were very open to the things
we would like to see changed and will use our input
to make those changes. At any time we could ask
questions or give our opinion. Not everyone that
attended was for the CWB and everyone had
opportunity to ask questions and give their
opinions; needless to say, a lot of opinions were
given. There is a lot going on at the CWB that I had
no idea of before I went there. From what I see the
CWB has changed more in the last 7 years than it
has in the previous 30 years before that. That
change is all positive change for the benefit of the
farmer. If you are a farmer and want the CWB to
listen to what you have to say or if you want to see
some changes made, I recommend that you talk to
your CWB rep and tell them you are interested in
attending one of the C to C programs.

The best part of the program was getting to meet a
great group of people including the other farmers
in the group and the people who put the course
together and just everyone involved. If you are as
passionate about agriculture as I am I say it is an
opportunity of a lifetime. I made a bunch of new
friends and learned a lot and had a heck of a good
time.