Industry needs to take a flaxative.

[parsley]

A couple of options:

1. Notifying the Flax Commission by registered mail that you will withold checkoff funds, indefinitely, which you will consider rescinding when the present directors have resigned, and the present administrator, who thought the problem had 'all passed' a long time ago, is er, 'substituted'.
2. Not buying seed from ANY seedgrowers who originally purchased the seed and marketing rights from CDC. It was in their care.

3. Do #1 jointly, with one person you trust managing the information.
4. Compose a standardized form : I hereby instruct you to refund my flax checkoff ...blah blah. This notification is in legal effect until you are notifified at a future date.
5. Compose a emaillist of original Triffid owners to those requesting it.
6.An apology should be the basis for any discusssion.
7. Compose a list of good commercial seed to sell as seed stock you have on hand if you have NOT grown Triffid. Brown baggers not invited to list. And then buy from each other as did commercial bull buyers. They actually didn't like buying dwarf breeding bulls from purebred breeders. Imagine the nerve.
8. Put on your thinking cap for what you want to do with the Federal Government's Flax Council of Canada. I have a few ideas.

Just a few thoughts for now. I kinda like a bit of sweet talk on Valentine's Day. Smooch. Pars

[parsley]

By the way, 'ruthless' is such a respected word in the corporate world, well, I think farmers can learn from tha kind of leadership.

No reason in the world why farmers have to sell flax through regular agents, either.
Thi could get interesting.Poker, and farmes have grain to lay down on the table. The regular players have bullshit. Pars

[parsley]

Not the same kind of thinking, right, gregpet? LOL

[haveapulse]

I believe the industry should demand a Royal Commission or whatever you may wish to call the process. We need a thorough review to acccount for the state of the industry today.

It is only fair to point out, that it was not only farmers who need to be held accountable. Why did it take 5 years after the flax council recommended the variety be pulled for the Government to react? Where did the seed go in the meantime? How was that seed acounted for in the destruction. How do we account for the spread and contamination of non GMO breeder seed?

A chapter dedicated to the impact of GMO canola on the mustard industry would be in order.

The reality today is we have two crops affected due to GMO intolerance: mustard and canola and Monsanto is on a push for GMO wheat. Under current regulation there would be not penatly to Monsanto to introduce GMO wheat into Canada despite potential customer rejection. Correct me if I am wrong!


The outcome of this review would include future recommendations and protocal on how we allow GMO into Canada, given the intent of Monsanto with the Wheat Growers support for GMO wheat development.

We need clear rules, accountability and transparency, and regulations to enforce the above.

We need to be able to control the entrance of GMO seeds into our production, and be ready should the consummer approve of this technology to open the door if and when but not before.

Anyone know where the Ministers of AG Provincial and Federal on this one?

[parsley]

A Royal Commisssion?
1. It will deliver a decision made BY Government FOR government.
2. It will be costly and serve to enunciate taxpayers' view that farmers are whining again.
3. It will drag out for at least two years.

[oneoff]

In addition to the problems farmers have from industry; there are also problems that stem from within the farmer ranks.
We've got more than our share of collaborators and extremely selfish and self centered individuals who would never entertain any thought that didn't have immediate apparent gain to themselves.
In their extremely small worlds; centered on themselves; those individuals must feel no need to cooperate and band together at times to confront problems that are well beyond an individuals ability to do anything.
This story has been repeated so many times it is disheartening. And then one remember how collective actions; particularly in Sask have had profound results in the past. Too bad we've let most of those gains slip away, and now have no heart to tackle todays problems.

[parsley]

well oneoff, I'm not exactly being a mealy-mouth. LOL

I've found farmers ned to "mull" a bit, though.This isn't only about grain, you know. This is about rural communities and it' about rural culture.

And farmers have been pretty darn good at both. pars

[oneoff]

It's fine to "mull"; but the time comes to "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way"

[tipsy]

Checking, I'm thinking unless something changes dramatically between now and Aug 1 there is going to be substantially more than 400,000 mt of flax carry over! My thoughts are flax supplies are at burdensome levels and it's going to take some time to chew thur the present stocks let-alone the new crop that will be produced in 2010.

[oneoff]

So why are farmers so keen to add to burdensome supplies and make the situation worse? There are many things basically wrong with farmers marketing senses ( and I mean everyone including myself).
It is easily argued that the free market system is the best of a bad lot; but it is a very bad lot indeed.

[haveapulse]

We talk accountability. We talk transparency. Talk is cheap; where is the action? While Pars you have suggested ways to deal with the issue who is going to take charge? Where is the leadership?

So if it not a Royal Commission what is it then? (NO worries that this will never happen anyway cause the root of this problem is too heavily embedded in the whose who of our industry. )

We need to go foward knowing we have growing competition for global markets. Competition from the Eastern Block is real, and we are not the cheapest origin in the world. Today, we see the impact of lower cost peas being offered to the world weighing on the price of peas. Tomorrow it will be flax.

We can quit producing flax, and try to starve the buyers, but it will not work.
The flax will come from other regions and or factories will change formulas.

As an industry we need to purge the problem. I suggest that regulations which today failed to penalize the entry of Triffid as a non registered varieity need to be established. From what I can see we are not even talking of closing this door yet!

And it amazes me that farmers will balk over the cost of certified seed flax then march right in and pay 30 to 50$ an acre for 5 to 6 lbs of canola seed or 500$ a bushel, making the suggested retail for flax of $16.65 look pretty darn inexpensive in comparison.

And yes for some of us who sell flax seed every year and did not produce Triffid on our farms, it will be an opportunity.

However as an industry, an industry which is characterized by individual CEOS on every farm, unlike Toyota with a single CEO, I believe we need to have leadership which is beyond the scope of individuals call it what you will.

[charliep]

Way off the flaxative discussion but will note the adoption of canola biotech (Alberta numbers).

Year 1999 Conventional canola (no biotech) - 31 %. Liberty Link (LL) - 14 %. Roundup Ready (RR) - 24 %. Clearfield (developed mutagenesis) - 31 %.

Year 2004 Conventional - 6 %. LL - 24 %. RR - 57 %. Clearfield - 14 %.

Year 2009 conventional - 1 %. LL - 42 %. RR - 52 %. Clearfield - 6 %.

You also need to be aware of what your competitors are doing. Picking on Australia - Significant biotech programs with an emphasis on dealing with agronomic issues of all types (not just herbicide tolerance) funded through their GRDC. Europe - after eliminating genetic engineering (or at least on the surface), major dollars being spent on bio technology in the private sector (limited public breeding). US - Will let everyone answer their own question here but stacking of traits adding to yield potential every year. Eastern Europe - Just have to adopt western technology plus will get access EU plant breeding outcomes.