SO on another thread parsley, in her infinite wisdom, challenged me to come up with some positive solutions to the current transportation crisis.
Here are some of my thoughts both long term and short term.
Short term:
1. The government could amend the advance system to get farmers the cash they need. It could be using contracts to get face value. It should no longer be based on crop years. If you have the grain in a bin or on contract, its cashable.
2. They really have to get all the players together. Potash, oil, coal, grain have to be sitting at the table at the same time not bowing to the railways but telling them how this going to get fixed. Then if the railways don't listen, you have the players together to make the hostile takeover bid.
We could buy out cp or cn if we wanted to. Chew on that for a while.
3. The new cwb could offer new crop contracts to gain market share and farmer support, well actualy any grainco could, they all choose not to.
Long term
1. It has become obvious that the railways do not want to do more , actually less. Leave them to their own demise, and build a new route and get new service providers.
2. We need more port storage so that the market can functionally work. When you have empty terminals you shouldn't have a minus 3.00 dollar per bushel basis.
3. we need better storage at raillines to move grain. The graincos can say they have enough storage, they don't, that's why P&H is buying a turnkey operation WIT for pennies.
4. Graincos should be following the potash lead for storage and the ability to load with "out of the elements" facilities. A unit train should be leaving a place like moose jaw every day.
Some beginning thoughts , you guys can shit on them and add more.
Mine have all been told to some government official in one form or another. I doubt one of them get acted on.
Here are some of my thoughts both long term and short term.
Short term:
1. The government could amend the advance system to get farmers the cash they need. It could be using contracts to get face value. It should no longer be based on crop years. If you have the grain in a bin or on contract, its cashable.
2. They really have to get all the players together. Potash, oil, coal, grain have to be sitting at the table at the same time not bowing to the railways but telling them how this going to get fixed. Then if the railways don't listen, you have the players together to make the hostile takeover bid.
We could buy out cp or cn if we wanted to. Chew on that for a while.
3. The new cwb could offer new crop contracts to gain market share and farmer support, well actualy any grainco could, they all choose not to.
Long term
1. It has become obvious that the railways do not want to do more , actually less. Leave them to their own demise, and build a new route and get new service providers.
2. We need more port storage so that the market can functionally work. When you have empty terminals you shouldn't have a minus 3.00 dollar per bushel basis.
3. we need better storage at raillines to move grain. The graincos can say they have enough storage, they don't, that's why P&H is buying a turnkey operation WIT for pennies.
4. Graincos should be following the potash lead for storage and the ability to load with "out of the elements" facilities. A unit train should be leaving a place like moose jaw every day.
Some beginning thoughts , you guys can shit on them and add more.
Mine have all been told to some government official in one form or another. I doubt one of them get acted on.