Grading of all Wheat the Great Canadian SCAM!!!

[fjlip]

ajl, if after we try a majority Conservative gov, we do not get change, I'd say you are probably right. Let's see how this potash takeover gets dealt with. The opposition is on Sk's side, will Harper do the right thing or alienate us further.

[btjadenlepp]

"And that is the main problem the system
created this huge labour pool that gets
paid off our backs. The railways wont
stop it the cwb wont stop it the CGC
wont the port workers wont the govt wont
so guess what were screwed. Yet when
they pay us some useless govt program we
get slammed for handouts. What a
fricking system in Canada."

That's such a good point. We (farmlink)
deal with dumbness all day long trying
to get sales done. Because we only deal
on behalf of producers, we end up
getting s*&$t half the time for being
anti-board, and the other half for not
being nice enough to the grain
companies.

The notion of grading standards is
hilarious, for all crops. It's about how
well you negotiate, not what the grain
commission says it is.

I'd call it the opposite of a commercial
system except that there are the odd
crops that trade in a functional market
environment, at least sometimes. It's
just extremely confusing to keep it all
straight, what works, what doesn't, why
or why not, and WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.

Now's about the time that I'm going to
get yelled at and insulted for focusing
on strategy instead of policy, since
"there's so much to be gained by
changing the current system". But who
has the time or energy to work on fixing
the grain industry to farmers'
advantage, in the face of how completely
unwilling the establishment is to
considering any type of change or
alternative position?

www.farmlinksolutions.ca

[boarderbloke]

If Harper and the Feds allow unfettered competion/markets for potash, WHY haven't they moved to give that same oppertunity to WESTERN Wheat and Barley growers??? I await their decision.

[fjlip]

Maybe we don't have the clout billionaires do? Mulroney got kickback. Use your imagination.

[lnewman]

Good topic SF3. It's a mess here in Southern AB . We have no movement. The #2 I delivered 3
weeks ago is now a feed. Elevator managers are at there wits end, they have no direction from
the CWB on grading or movement. It's like a secret. All the managers can do is call it all feed.
What worries me most if we get a pro choice board of directors, the gov't won't back it. 20
years ago I received my first CWB cheque, I thought 5 -10 year max and they will be gone.
Now I think we are no closer today than 20 years ago. Screw the CWB.

[lnewman]

Good topic SF3. It's a mess here in Southern AB . We have no movement. The #2 I delivered 3
weeks ago is now a feed. Elevator managers are at there wits end, they have no direction from
the CWB on grading or movement. It's like a secret. All the managers can do is call it all feed.
What worries me most if we get a pro choice board of directors, the gov't won't back it. 20
years ago I received my first CWB cheque, I thought 5 -10 year max and they will be gone.
Now I think we are no closer today than 20 years ago. Screw the CWB.

[Daylate]

And if you think your business is affected on the % board grains you grow and isn't a big consern to you, think again, competition is competition. Not just directly because in our rotation were planting less board grain and more oilseed and pulse but also in shipment.
these vessels sitting that the farmers are paying for is back logging ports with cars, side rails and within 4 weeks i have been told by inland and port terminals today that its going to cripple movement of all grains through country elevators.
Remember the crush plants only have to be competitive with export value, if our glorified bin and auger system that we call elevator company's cant ship they wont be offering attractive basis'. and either will crushers.
Our system is s$#t.
After 75 years you think the CWB would have a better handle on shipping. I always thought they should keep their hands out of marketing and at the most organize on shipments and movement, but now i hope the CWB will be only a memory for me.
Message to all voters in District 7, if you have not woken up in a cold sweat within the last year wondering if it was to soon or to late, too much or not enough, to shallow,or to deep, to hot or to cold, to WET or to dry then stay the f$%k off the voters list

[mbratrud]

I can’t say I disagree with the theme here but some of the comments directed towards industry people is a bit slanderous

Read the Great Grain Robbery and you will be reminded why the CGC is relevant. Has it gotten a bit carried away absolutely? Lets change their mandate not get rid of them.

[SASKFARMER3]

Here is what I ended up doing. Signed on for A with our #3 then called all my feed according to gospel of the CWB a three and signed up. If they cant get their shit together I start taking trucks down to US either as very dirty Canola or something. Clean on farm down their and make some money for a change. Hey have to look after number one not CWB. They screwed us in 2004 with grades but that year it was the buy back and Grain companys taking grain to USA. $1.79 in Canora and turn into $5 in ND and Minnesota pay the CWB a little check wink wink.

[mbratrud]

Daylate, There is no way our transportation issues might have started off on the wrong foot due to the harvest from hell is there? Call me the devils advocate... Just an observation.

If we must work within in a regulated Grain There are many things flawed about the CWB and anyone who knows me including those in the CWB, know there are 2 things I really hate about our grain system in Canada.

1. Wheat grading, although I understand the theory that we want to sell high quality wheat into special markets for a premium. I think more often we just end up competing with DNS and we don’t get the premium we intended. So for the most part I am not convinced that we see value for our grading system.
2. Is price pooling, it sends poor pricing signals, is a poor indicator of what the market wants thus creating issues with transportation. Mostly it creates a lack of accountability.
These two issues are responsible for many of the issues in this thread in my mind.

One of the things I do believe the CWB helps with is shipping costs, orderly transportation, and without price pooling there SHOULD be value in a single desk.
Get rid of the price pooling, and tweak our grading system and I think we would make a major step forward in responding to market conditions.
I would be curious to know what percentage of Wheat sales actually extract a premium due to our grading system, vs what just ends up in the mainstream competing against Dark Northern Spring. My guess the premium Markets could be satisfied though IP contracts that could have more stringent grading parameters.
Oh well that’s my verbal vomit for the day.

On a happy note this weather is awesome!