CWB and Reality

[TOM4CWB]

Dear Charlie,

Thanks for posting th link to the 'Grain Matters' Aug/Sept 2008.

The fallicy that 'Wheat' is different... is a joke.

Any grower on this planet... particularily those in the US northern plains... including those in the FSU... can buy Canadian wheat seed stocks... grow our wheat... and compete with us. They don't. Why not? Simple... the economics do not back the CWB's claims.

Check the tree... by the fruit it produces.

CEO Ian White should know better.

It can easily be argued Ian does know better.

The 'claim' of premium prices the CWB achieves in the Japanese market... can easily be matched by US suppliers.

This 'smoke and mirrors' needs to be cleared away... the CWB needs to start working for 'designated area' growers.

Guess what would happen if they did?

The CWB would be gone. Dismantled. Cheap food is what this is all about. No question the CWB provides the lowest cost... most stable supply... highest quality wheat...

Who pays for this?

[grassfarmer]

Like the Nilsson/North West Consolidated story I'm surprised this press release didn't make bigger headlines. Maybe the policy now is to just ignore them and they might go away?
To be fair the programs they list are probably all true enough - all it takes is someone on this side of the border to spend some time researching the various subsidy programs US ranchers get. Seems no-one this side of the border wants to waste their time and resources proving this outfit are a bunch of protectionists with nothing to whine about.

[kato]

I wanted to share it with everyone here, because I think it shows the level of frustration now that the holy grail of MCOOL has backfired.

It has not resulted in benefits to American cattle producers. It has done nothing but harm to us. If it followed the guidelines set out in that infamous trade agreement we BOTH signed, I would be all for it. But it doesn't. MCOOL doesn't hurt Canadian beef in the least. In fact, it could help Canadian beef, if marketed properly.

Who it does hurt is Canadian cattle. Only Canadian cattle. Therefore, only us.

With the sad state of competition in this country, the loss of that one extra bidder on our live cattle is one we cannot afford. Our packers have no reason to spend more on cattle. They don't have to. That's just the way it works. If there's no one to bid against you, no matter how much you would be able to pay for an animal, and how much you really think it is worth, you are not going to pay any more than one bid above the competition. If there is no competition, there will be no bids.