Ergot and the CWB

[craig]

I'm finding that the ergot issue in wheat this year has added a lot more cost calculation to determine the value of cleaning color sorting. At present it would seem that if you can make a #3 (.03) it's not worth the extra cost of cleaning because the price spreads between the grades won't cover the cost of cleaning. The other issue is all the logistics involved of getting a spot at the cleaner and then how and when you clean your product.
It would seem that the CWB has an opportunity to bring in some provisions that would actually save farmers money and possibly improve the overall grades and quality of this years crop. However it would seem the board is no where to be found on this issue. So far it would seem that everyone is under estimating the amount of ergot out there at least in Alberta. In our area Central Alberta almost all HRS wheat has some level of ergot. This makes it extremely difficult to have any blending capacity at a local level. The next problem is that the the contract call system makes it almost impossible to be able to haul from cleaner to the elevator. The extra handling of bringing clean grain home and rebinning likely adds at least another $10.00 per tonne in cost. In all this there is a simple message. If the CWB has the best interests of farmers at heart then it needs to be visibly present out there helping to address the issues that effect farmers. It needs to show real ,not hidden value. So far it is failing on all fronts.

[disker]

We have ergot in most of our wheat as well in
different amounts. What I don't understand is
that if I can pay to have it cleaned at the local
cleaners, why when i pay for cleaning at delivery
can they not just clean it out.
Forget the cwb trying to come up with a solution
they are too busy trying to figure out how to
make the fpc pricing program be a 300.00/
tonne program no matter how much they have
to manipulate the basis. What a gong show

[FarmRanger]

If you can raise a #5 durum to a #3, it's worth
about $130 per tonne. I'm not sure why this
couldn't be done at a terminal delivery point, and
simply deduct cleaning and extra dockage costs
from our cheques? A lot of extra unnecessary
costs for the farmer at the seed plant otherwise.

[bucket]

i have been phoning the cwb weekly to see what the cwb will come up with for an ergot program.

Since it is a cleanable problem and I get deducted cleaning on every single cheque, I don't see why its my problem. And since the cwb is taking care of farmers interests, why are they not enforcing the cleaning? After all its their grain anyway, not mine.

Fusarium has a program every year and its just a blending issue.

The cwb could be coordinating movement to elevators with the appropriate cleaners. For instance with the low seeded acres in the south east, maybe WIT is looking for some volume. Then call it the Weyburn catchment area (much like the churchill program) and move grain to be cleaned there. WIT advertises their ergot cleaners on the radio every day.

[malta]

There are comments about cleaning at delivery or terminal. Most ergot (if it is wheat kernel size will not clean out with the equipment they have (indent). You need a color sorter which will cut about 2-5%. Most elevators don't have one but some are considering adding one. You can also clean most ergot out with a gravity table but will cut 10-15% with the screenings being worth zero.
I see the elevators doing the best they can for now but the CWB needs to get in front of this. This will be like last years feed wheat, they won't even know the ergot is ther until January.

[craig]

Great comments. While some elevators have setup
with color sorters the issue becomes delivery and
shipping. Coordination needs to happen so that
product moved in for cleaning can be cleaned and
shipped in a timely fashion. The elevator does not
want to be tying up half their elevator with wheat if
they cannot get shipping. They also don't want the
color sorter sitting idle when there is more grain
than they can handle waiting to be cleaned. Finally
there needs to be dependable lead time to
coordinate delivery and shipping. Would seem
logical that the board can play a role.

[stubblejumper]

What are you going to bitch about when the CWB is gone

[craig]

Stubblejumper
I'm not bitching. The CWB has an opportunity to do
something that will help farmers. Maybe if they were
more prepared to work with farmers in the past they
wouldn't be in their current position. Last if I can run
my farm the way I want to, then I won't be bitching at
anyone.

[wilagro]

Grain quality is the responsibility of the producer. The CWB is not a "fairy god-mother" sitting there to clean your ergotty grain. The company buying your grain may arrange to clean your grain...talk to THEM or clean it yourself.

I do agree that in a year where ergot is wide-spread that the CWB should publish guidelines to assist producers with their marketing.

[$short]

Cleaning is expensive, especially by the open market cleaners! Haha.

Wil, call your daughter for a cleaning quote!

[Hopperbin]

Wilagro since you only grow fusarium infested grain maybe the cwb should also not have a program for you, maybe you can understand that.

[ado089]

I've been poo-pooed on here before for bringing up this issue. It seems rediculous to me that the board wouldn't want to get involved in this situation. Not only would it help out producers (isn't that what the claim to do haha) it should help them out as well. Even with blending at port this should increase the amount of "high qualtity" grain they can export. That is unless they don't have enough markets for our eledgidly best quality wheat in the world. They must be too busy counting ballots and fighting the government to actualy help farmers.