Wtr. Wht. Grading... WHAT A RUDE Joke!

[gustgd]

Want to know what McCreary Hill, Olberg, Geoff, Kornechuck all have in common? They have all worked us over in the CWB elections. Mock them all you want. The NFU is well organized and well versed in farm politics, Underestimate them at your peril. I persoally have been to meetings were they packed the second floor ballroom of the Besborough in Saskatoon. Maybe 10% farmers in the mix to answer questions for the media but they can fill a room if the NDP & rent a protest crowd are invoved.
I was quite pleased to see their new presidentTerry Boehm get verbally worked the other day, when some one who knew better called shenigans on the BS he was spewing.
Most of them can spin quite a tale, but a little knowledge is dangerous.

[wmoebis]

Good point mcfarms.
Do these reps report back to thier assoc. On what and why changes are made? Do you have to be a member of every org to get reports or are they available some where for public knowledge?

[stubblejumper]

Should CDC Falcon be demoted to General Purpose?1/12/2010 | By Jay Whetter, Grainews
Winter wheat growers need to deal with the CDC Falcon issue if they hope to improve the end-use quality of the Canada Western Red Winter Select class.

This issue was raised during the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission meeting Monday at Crop Week in Saskatoon. The Canadian Wheat Board is trying to sell Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) Select wheat in a market dominated by U.S. Hard Red Winter.

The challenge, according to Michael Lackmanec, the CWB’s director of marketing strategy, is that U.S. HRW has consistently higher protein -- a key indicator of milling quality -- and annual volumes of 30 million tonnes or so. Canada produces about one million tonnes of CWRW with protein down around 11 per cent. Millers and bakers in this market are looking for a consistent supply of mid-quality milling wheat in high volumes and at a decent price. CWRW Select has a hard time competing.

So Western Canada’s winter wheat growers have to improve their product quality if they want to sell winter wheat into the milling market.

Therein lies the issue with CDC Falcon. It, along with four other less-popular varieties, has poor milling quality yet is still in the CWRW class. Granted, it’s not on the Select list, so it rarely gets selected for the milling market, but its presence in the class suggests that Western Canada is not really serious about developing a milling market for winter wheat. That’s the argument. “We want to cruise forward rather than sputter,” Lackmanec says.
Michael Lackmanec, the Canadian Wheat Board’s director of marketing strategy, explained to members of the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission why CDC Falcon hurts the Canadian Western Red Winter class. -- Jay Whetter photo


The CWB has proposed two options:

Option 1 is to demote CDC Falcon, CDC Clair, CDC Harrier, Kestrel and Raptor to the Canada Western General Purpose (GP) class.

Simple. Problem solved. Growers can still grow these varieties and sell them into feed markets as they’ve always done. The CWRW class is cleaned up…

Oh, but not so fast. CDC Falcon is far and away the most popular winter wheat in Manitoba, accounting for 68 per cent of acres. Demote Falcon to GP and Manitoba Winter Cereals Inc.’s checkoff is gutted to the bone.

Without Falcon checkoff money, Manitoba Winter Cereals can’t fund important research programs. Without research, winter wheat production fades. And since Manitoba accounts for a large percentage of winter wheat acres in Western Canada, winter cereals growers across the Prairies are willing to compromise.

Enter Option 2. Leave Falcon on the CWRW list for a couple years, then cut it loose. In that time, Manitoba growers, with help from breeders, will have to adopt a milling-quality replacement.

That’s easier said than done, since new and high-quality winter wheat varieties are hard to come by these days. Rob Graf, a breeder with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, has a new variety, Broadview, but it’s a GP and doesn’t help as a Falcon replacement.

However, his W434 is eligible for the Select group. It also has protein of 12.3 per cent compared to 11.2 for the checks, yield 104 per cent of checks, and sufficient rust resistance for Manitoba. That will be the variety to watch.

-- Jay Whetter is editor of Grainews.

[grassfarmer]

I wasn't talking about myself Silverback - I have never written an article on the CWB or any grain/related related issue. I didn't come from England either - maybe you are confusing me with someone else?
Knock yourself out though - get writing some articles highlighting your opinions on grain matters and why you disagree with the NFU opinions. Democracy/debate could only be encouraged by the increased participation.

[TOM4CWB]

Stubble,

So US millers have no problems buying Falcon... yet the CWB uses every possible excuse to wreck winter wheat marketing.

US Ordinary Wtr Wht is 10.5px or below. That in Canadian measurement protocol is 10%px.

Instead the CGC/CWB capped the 1&2 milling grades at 11%px...(demoting wht to a #3 if lower than 11px) NO MATTER which variety including select wheat.

The CDN way... tell everyone you have substandard product... to make sure they will pay you less.

Now... in a foreign market... the food Manufacturer gets to put on the label... 'Made from #3 Wheat... instead of #1'.

Real Bright marketing idea.

Question... why not make the protein cutoff 10% to match US quality... and call the grade 'Ordinary' #1 ???

Too simple... much too much common sense... definitely not the CWB/CGC Canadian way!!

But what do I know... I am just a stupid Canadian farmer who has never marketed any wheat or barley... ONLY the CGC/CWB are smart enough to figure out how to maximise the discount market for our wtr wheat!

[parsley]

Left wing associations are quoted, and linked, and promoted by the media, because many of the decision makers in the media itself, are left wing. Pars

[charliep]

The question in my mind is why go to a regulatory based system and instead offer market based solutions. Be like oats where there are basic specifications but sales are contract based with specifications/attribute characturistics handled via premiums and discounts. Protein should be handled this way. The only thing preventing this from happening is the CWB mentality which has to slot everything into a specific grade and protein so they can administer the pooling system. Creativity and innovation doesn't fit into this mind set.

Only in Canada do we have the answer to bad regulations being adding more regulations - not fixing or eliminating the bad regulation.

[checking]

This message brought to you by the fox of the north. (lol)

[mcfarms]

If its only a protein issue not some other it sure could be bought on a protein scale last time I checked all the cwrs was.

[TOM4CWB]

Grass;

"they have members who are both articulate enough and smart enough to write intelligent articles. Not the case with your run of the mill prairie ag producer in my experience."

OK... who exactly did you just call a stupid 'run of the mill prairie ag producer' then?

Are you above us? Where do you come from?

[TOM4CWB]

MC/Charlie,

I was told the justification for this was to simplify the grading system... the real push was not to have any winter wheat accepted below 11%px... and put all the rest in the General Purpose class.

I am fine with that... if it comes along with an no-cost export license I can trade with the local elevator!

Without competition... there can be no arbitage or transparent price discovery.

That is the unspoken goal of the CWB; PREVENT argitrage and transparent price discovery.

That way we will all grow CWRS for the next 10 generations!

[TOM4CWB]

A Song for Elwin, Cam and Jim... who have just joined Chairman Oberg on the 'Jolly Rodger!

Listen and enjoy your comfy pensions!!!

'The Last Sask. Pirate'!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G_L9tXEwmc