Massive CWB rally in Ottawa

[grassfarmer]

Try looking up the definitions and you will see you are wrong.
Monopoly: One seller - many buyers.
Monopsony: One buyer - many sellers.

[FarmRanger]

Actually the CWB is the only buyer we can sell to, so they are indeed one buyer for the purposes of a designated area farmer. The farmers are numerous, and cannot sell to anyone else, so technically, Brian is right.

I've used the word monopoly to describe our situation in western Canada too, only because most people don't know what a monopsony is.

[sumdumguy]

If the cwb was a monopoly as they say they are,
they would actually have some clout in the
marketplace, but they are a monopsony and are
price takers not price makers.

They know this simple fact and so they also know
they will never be able to compete. They could
survive before because they could steal the
grain, had government purse, now they cant
survive in the real world. Poor babies!

[parsley]

The liberals established a Museum of Human
Rights in Winnipeg, and as part of the
contribution, perhaps the Government could
purchase 413 Main, deposit the money in the
pooling accounts and then donate the building as
the museum home.
After all, the building itself is symbolic of seventy
years of agricultural economic human rights
abuses, and is a authentic icon representing
legislative expropriation of grain marketing.

The action would also prompt a segue for the
government to initiate vigorous property rights
initiatives.

On the main floor foyer would be a jail cell with a
wax Andy shackled and chained,; a running
commentary in a video. of the worth of the single
desk, playing quotes and news clips by it's
fanatical adherents.

The top floor would discreetly house 'The
Emporer has no Clothes' exhibit highlighting a
wax plump Ralph, nude, with his disciples, Nettie
front and centre, chanting ' Jail farmers who sell
their wheat' on a lightening bolt lighted colored
video. The emporer would wield a light sabre of
course.

See? That's what the sound of coffee grinding,
the smell of dark roasted coffee beans, and the
taste of piping hot coffee does for me in the
morning. Youd better hope I dont have wild
thoughts. Pars

[parsley]

sb: 423 Main. But I have a question: does any
AV farmer grow figs? Museum staff may need
to source a fig leaf, for decorum, should the
occassion rise. Pars

[wd9]

Not in this weather Parsely! I do have parsely in my aerogarden tho.

Straight from Wikipedia, never looked there before:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Wheat_Board

The Canadian Wheat Board (French: Commission canadienne du blé) was established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935[1] as a mandatory producer marketing system for wheat and barley in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a small part of British Columbia. Although it is often called a monopoly, it is actually instead a monopsony since it is the only buyer of wheat and barley.

[wd9]

BTW, the museum post is freaking awesome. Suppose someone were to copy that and post it on steamroller. Would you mind?

[charliep]

grasshopper

So you are saying the CWB is the only marketer of wheat in the world?

You can make arguements about the CWB representing western Canadian farmers in their wheat dealing and the value this brings. At the end of the day, Canada is only about 15 % of world wheat trade. Durum is more like about 2/3 of the market but factors that drive price move beyond the ability to control market availability - Mother nature and ability to substitute other wheats are more important factors.

Actually, you can not use the word monopoly in reference to the relationship between the CWB as a single desk buyer of wheat and barley from the many western Canadian farmers. The domestic feed market competes for CWB deliveries in an open market. The price of domestic feed wheat in Alberta today is higher the PRO for low protein 1/2CWRS. Perhaps even more perplexing is the relationship between US durum prices ($10/bu), the current PRO forecast ($9/bu) and the fixed price contract ($7.50/bu).

I always find it interesting the arguments are about collective farmer/the pooling system from single desk representative of western Canada but not about the benefits to an individual farmer.

[charliep]

Actually need to correct myself. From the CWB own statistical tables, Canada is just under 50 % of world durum exports and about 12.5 % of world durum production.

[URL="http://www.cwb.ca/public/en/about/investor/annual/pdf/09-10/stats_english2009-10.pdf"]table 31 to 33[/URL]

sorry to confuse a political arguement with facts/numbers/prices.

[parsley]

It's public, wd, do what tickles your fancy. Pars