Barack Hussein Obama and his MF Global web

[bduke]

Riders 2010... IMHO the CWB effect was underscored for years and years.

Singularly honouring the IWA which practically eliminated cash flow from
prairie grains, establishing ridiculously low initial prices year after year,
refusing no cost buy backs only to prairie farmers,ensuring feed grain
supplies for Canadian livestock, demanding kernel visibility distinguishability
resulting in lower yields, favouring maltsters at farmer's expense, basing
quotas on acreage for most of its controlling years, pre selling at prices
favourable to "good" customers, and matching the US pricing for lower US
quality wheat are some of the CWB's legacy.

The opportunity costs lost by this shameless Borg is... IMHO... the reason the
Chinese see a buying opportunity here rather than Europe or the US.

We have been oppressed which is verified in our deemed "good value".

Many of us will not sell to out of country interests... some will.

Hopefully we have a generation of farmers who see the growing opportunity
to produce food and will be aggressive enough to match or outbid the offers
from outside...especially China.

I also see many farmers renting their land and holding ownership to protect
their asset base and ensure some real value for their families.

I only wish I were in the early years of farming rather than the twilight years.

Mortgage rates in the early 80"s were from 17% to 20%..... now 5%.

While rising land values are discouraging to they hoping to expand at "safe'
prices, in the long run I think if higher prices deter interest from China to buy
in South Africa e.g.could be in our long term interest.

Not being compelled to sell through the CWB will allow a new generation of
farmers to manage, market, produce and invest at levels foreign to me.

How I wish this freedom had been honoured 1 minute after WWII.

Cheers... BIll

[wd9]

But see Rider, that's the big lie, the
CWB never had marketing power. Whether
it (CWB) existed or not, the potential
price remained the same. however between
fire saleing and mandated movement per
month and fixed and operating costs, and
the fact all the buyers knew the board
had to sell 1/12 of the crop per month,
we got screwed up the ass.

Good riddance CWB. Maybe reread Bills
post on the history and purpose of the
CWB. Very well summarized.

[bduke]

Riders2010... A correction re my last post... If higher land prices here encourage
the Chinese to buy in S Africa e.g. could be long term beneficial to our region.

I expect the ownership of Sask land requires a Sask presence... think it need
approval re: Sask Land Board.

So perhaps a Corp or owner with Sask residency.

Just thinking a non resident requirement could be a public co trading in Canada,
and then its share values would be reflected by its results..regulated reporting.

Low profits would allow it to be taken over... higher profits would require normal
marketing and more Cad taxation.

Critique please...

Cheers... Bill

[notaredneck]

Land aquisition in Canada is quite eazy. Just set up a Canadian/Sask co have canadians run the outfit,supply the $ to buy the land as a lender . Then set up a grain merchant entity (do not need canadian content in this.. hooray!), buy the grain from the lands(farms) that have produced the grain on these lands. The grain leaves the country,the $ generated do not come back to this country and are used to to purchase more equity in a food producing area(Canada or else where )
Yes of couse these lands,farms will be generating revenues etc,bying imputs and because of high admin cost will pay little or no inc.tax . Why? Because the mother Co. is ofshore ...and so it goes ! Free at last!

[riders2010]

Bill, I am not up to par on the land ownership laws here, but they must be different then what I had thought because the new fad is numbered companies through investment brokers. When you snoop around enough more than not foreign asian backing keeps coming up. The stats on this are misleading, because not sure when they consider an asian who becomes a canadian citizen then uses chineese gov money to buy land in their own name classified as foreign, at what point or length of citizenship? These people are working together for their own common good.

As far as land values I believe cottons statements we have not seen anything in terms of grain and resource prices. Therefore land is still EXTREMELEY cheap if we are talking in terms of these countries position of exploding populations with not enough food. If we are talking about a young canadian farmer trying to make ends meet then land price is way too high unless grain prices go about 30% higher than what they are even now. Therefore major problem for the future of ACTUAL CANADIANS to continue farming. I wanted free choice but at the same time they now have free access to ship their wheat home or not?

Those countries need us as much as or more than we need them. We have more than enough food and fuel they do not and getting less. Allowing them ownership and another kick in the ass using our gov programs to take our resources is worse than any effect the cwb ever had or would have had. The reason Canada is so attractive is because our gov is begging them in order to make oil deals while other countries are looking after their own citizens and giving them the boot in some cases. Would you agree that supplying that many people with cheap food and fuel, will result in them being the mega super power in 20 years? What will we be? All we hear now is that there are no skilled workers, well why would there be when we ship cheap food and oil over to asia and they apply that to their cheap wages and advance their tech jobs while we develop truck drivers and trench diggers?

Wd I agree the cwb was a pain in the ass but so is the fact that when we had wipeouts here no money through programs yet farmers with the bumper crops and one little loss getting big cheques, then come bidding up our land rents with gov money. More of an ass itch than extra strength prep H could cure.

[ASRG]

200 hundred years ago the "real Canadians", in the west, were Cree, Blackfoot etc.? Today "real Canadians" are English, German, Ukrainian, etc.?
50 years from now "real Canadians" are Chinese, Sikh, Phillipinos?
Things change.

[rockpile]

Thanks Hobbyfrmr for detailing the process. I
thought for a minute you were being a little tongue
and cheek in detailing just how easy it was but I
guess you were serious. I only ever had one
experience and it was just to learn how the process
worked. It involved a load of Durum to Conrad. I
followed the Alberta Ag. guide book procedures to
export grain to the US. As instructed, I hired a
broker in Great Falls to look after all things South of
the Border. Had to pay $250.00 in advance. Turns
out he didn't do anything and denied he ever heard
of me. I took a physical sample to the elevator and
got exactly grade, dockage and price as promised.
But, I hired a trucker and loaded a super B load out,
He had to split at Coutts and make 2 trips to
Conrad. He got nailed for the rear trailer being
overloaded (which was BS) and had to pay on the
spot or be impounded. In the end I reimbursed him.
At the time, there was over $1.50 bu premium for
durum across the line and on 1600 bus more or
less I think I still made about $25.00. But that was
the end for me.

[hobbyfrmr]

Always, always, always use a customs broker. Norman G Jensen, is one I used most commonly. There is quite a number of them sitting on the border, I cant think of them right now. You can do the paperwork yourself, but if you miss one document, it will go sideways and be expensive. Always always use a customs broker. That is their job, they know all the paperwork. If they screw up, you get phone calls, it gets sorted out no harm. You screw up, be prepared to sit longer, and pay more.