The CWB in an Open Market

[grassfarmer]

Charlie, what makes you think the picture is any different in Scotland with regard to age and demographics? I feel mine is very much the "turning generation" - I'm 44 now and every male school classmate of mine that came from an agricultural background went into agriculture. An awful lot of their kids that are now anywhere from 10-20 are not going to enter agriculture.
Post WW11 was a boom time in European agriculture but that prosperity ended in the late 1980s. But in prior generations (1800s through to WW11) agriculture always was a less attractive career choice - the smart kids were running the British empire in far flung corners of the world while the least smart one kept the family farm going. Maybe a different picture in Western Canada given the short history of settlement.

[Wheatking]

I have a few questions
Will the new cwb be under any kind of govt
mandate or control.

Will the line companies be legislated to handle
cwb grain.

Will it be spun off as a private business, perhaps
even a share offering so capitalists like burbert
can make money off the backs of hard working
farmers.

Will they be able to buy other grains so burbert
will be in heaven.

Will their books be opened so the likes of the
auditor general can do a proper audit.

Who will be on the hook for the cancellation or
sale of two ships

[BTOfarmallll]

QGF says - "An awful lot of their kids that are now anywhere from 10-20 are not going to enter agriculture."

Good I ain't need no more Competition, I got enough to worry about as it is. Hutts have driven the price of land so God Damn High, its unrealistic to be paying these prices, but ya gotta or theys gon get itall. No Hutts, land prices would drop 40% over night......

[TOM4CWB]

GTO,'

Do you take some kind of 'pill' that causes your brain to go to mush?

Your Hutterie rant... is irrational and racist... but you enjoy this !

[ASRG]

Charlie: I fit the demographics perfectly and will be one of the ones "cashing out" within that 10 year timeframe(hopefully a lot less). The land I own is actually much too expensive to grow grains or cattle on...probably houses!
Like most lifelong farmers I will miss a lot of the lifestyle, but certainly not the cold brutal weather or the uncertainty of variable weather, crazy markets, scandalous price increases for machinery and crop inputs....and disfunctional governments that changes policy like they change their underwear!
Looking back over the years it was a tough way to make a living but nothing like what a young farmer is facing today and in the foreseeable future!
I never was much of a CWB fan or any other grand "government scheme"....but I don't have much faith in big corporations snuggling up to farmers either! The bottom line of a corporation is to squeeze their suppliers, and charge their customers as much as they can. There are no "angels" in the corporate world!
I'm really looking forward to travelling a bit and having my "day in the sun"!

[grassfarmer]

BTO, No wonder the Hutterites are running rings around you ... if you can't understand the simple concepts discussed in some of these posts...

[charliep]

Wheatking.

All good questions. On your question of auditability/financial disclosure that will depend a lot on how things are spun off. Would how the government spun CN into a private company provide guidance or a model?

[agstar77]

Do you think Viterra would move their head office to Main St. in Winnipeg? That would be the sum result of privatization.

[charliep]

agstar77

Just curious is you have looked at the CWB vision contained in "Harvesting Opportunity". Does this fit with your vision of the CWB? Is this privatization or not? Would this fit the business needs of farms 10 years from now?

[agstar77]

Interesting to note that all the" New CWB " competitors are vertically integrated. The "New CWB" would be even more of a niche player. Without the clout of a assured supply and delivery system , how would they have power over our local players to make them play nice? That is the value I see. What powers would they be given to make up for loss of the single desk. My suggestion is control over Rail shipping and export logistics.

[charliep]

I note you use the word business competitors where I would use the word business partners. The CWB deals with all the members of the supply chain today in a business relationship to manage sourcing and logistics. Legislation is what cements this relationship today although I would hope there is also good will and solid business based logic as well. The new world will mean the CWB will not have legislated authority but rather will have to demonstrate value to members of the supply chain starting with farmers.

The CWB recognizes the need for changes to the current Act to achieve things like setting initial payments, developing a larger contingency fund for operations, etc. Don't know how comfortable farmers are with the CWB establishing a capital base as proposed in "Harvesting Opportunity". Would be a good question for your neighbors.

[agstar77]

Partners would imply equality, I don't see any. As a sidelight , how would CWB loss hit Viterra. Would they lose market share since they are not verticlly integrated as much as an ADM. Mayo says it would be good for Viterra, they would get a better cut of International marketing!

[charliep]

In the CWB's eyes, are farmers partners or competitors? If Viterra read the tea leaves forecasting the future the way you have suggested, why wouldn't they work with a renewed CWB to offer their clients (farmers) better programs at less corporate risk?

[wmoebis]

Would the BOD be made up of farmers or all Gov't appointed? Who votes the farmers if so?

Would there be any need for Min of the CWB? Or has Mr Ritz voted himself out of a portfolio?

Farmers would have the freedom to market outside the board but will the line companies? Will everyone have to market within the standards of the Canadian grain grading guide? Or do we let 100 yrs of quality reputation go and will the customers accept this?

Every person that has an interest in wheat sales has there own idea of what is will look like and what the out come maybe. Reminds me of the crow rate the our come wasn't what anyone wanted.

I am not saying open market is wrong but, I hope Harper, Ritz and Anderson have concrete answers and let us farmers have input before they make changes.
I don't see any BENIFIT to the way the Crow was handled lets not have a repeat by this gov't.

[agstar77]

Mayo has just said they want a bigger marketing share=more profits. They would partner the same way they have done in Australia. At least farmers have some input in the CWB whether you admit it or not , try inputing to Mayo. You are asking that the CWB be a marketing partner with the grain companies .They already have world wide marketing departments why would they duplicate them just to sell Canadian wheat. It would just be cheap wheat of Canadian origin, maybe blended with U.S. and Australian wheat.