Silence?

[riders2010]

Because this situation just shows how the system is corrupt against the farmer.

[bucket]

None of the open market systems work unless grain is moving.

You can store and get paid but you have to continue to build bins. The storage premium might pay for the lease on the bins, what about the rest of the expenses to an average farm.

The grain has to move to make sense of it all.

Cashflow!

[mbratrud]

I guess you get what your pay for?

[charliep]

No magic wand.

Here is what I said on call of the land.

[URL="http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/newslett.nsf/all/cotl21841"]Call of the land[/URL]

Not one of my better call of the land but trying to get at what individual. A real big difference in managers from those that were prepared for the big crop and those that run on the seat of their pants. Not having a marketing plan paid the last two but this year you needed to have a plan and executed on it.

I note the conversation in here is about what someone else should do but the key is what are you going to do starting with a knowledge of where your business is at today.

[ajl]

The reality of the situation is starting to sink in. There has
to be summerfallow, land rentals dropped, reducing of inputs on
the go. There are no solution otherwise and there aint nobody
gunna help us. A small LIFT program of $35 per acre for spring
wheat reduction would help right now. Government helped with
flooded fields in 2010,how about flooded markets right now.

[charliep]

Whould you be better off with old system where you wondered in before October 31 to sign an "A" series contract, been told the system can only take 40 % of what was offered and then been paid 50 cents on the dollar of some unknown final payment? I think the "B" series deadline would have been end of January so you would have rolled whatever you hadn't used on the "A" series/been waiting for a response.

The main difference in the new world is you have to think a lot more about finding homes for what you produce. How much crop is actually being sold at today's prices/ugly basis versus stuff that is being delivered at higher values/better basis from last fall?

[bucket]

I had a plan charliep. My grain was to
be hauled in November since it was
booked a year in advance. So why am I
starting augers and trucks in minus
25weather in February.

**** you can get under a guys skin while
you sit in your office.

And there are plenty of guys with that
problem.

[charliep]

You don't like loading grain in minus 25. You need cows bucket and an early winter/spring calving.

[mbratrud]

Bucket where are you? These stories of grain 3 months behind schedule, I haven't experienced anything like that 30 days at the most? How many elevators do you have in town? Is your shipping being flexed to areas where there is more competition?

[bucket]

Keep it up charliep. I do have cattle
you ignorant prick.

[highwayman]

Charlie, I don't think anyone has read this market or the transportation congestion issue perfectly. Could we all have done a better job at being proactive in our approach, undoubtedly yes. However, we will obviously learn some very valuable lessons from this situation and come out all the more stronger for it. Most I know are taking a lean and mean approach and making the necessary adjustments to weather the storm. Wont be the last time were hit with adversity so we have to roll with it and work through these challenges.JM2C, Salute

[wd9]

Cotton, because whether the market goes
up or down they make money. I really
can't blame any of them for not posting
given the above.

[hobbyfrmr]

i have to agree with charlie on this one. i hate
loading in -60 weather but guess what? THATS
MY JOB. If i want money i better do my job.
Then i am still cranky about it, so then I tell
myself the alternative could/would be starting
the auger engine for my neighbors farm or on a
construction site somewhere because I am
labourer for someone else.

[charliep]

I agree. Hard to sort out short term fixes from long term strategies. The last time this happened was 2010 - not that long ago.

My thoughts (will get killed) is the 2013 crop will be the norm in 5 to 10 years. To gear for bigger volumes, I suspect the industry needs to take a supply chain approach. I think a part of this is to look for alternatives that take the pressure off west coast shipment.

I apologize for being a bit hard nosed. I realize that some are undergoing a lot of stress. My ideas on agriville only go to how farmers can deal with the challenges they face. I have no magic wand. Ideas on the bigger challenges are likely filtered through different processes. I appreciate and use the comments on agriville to help the areas I work in develop strategies/alternatives to deal with the logistics challenges facing farmers and alternatives to help farmers get through things.

[cottonpicken]

Jesus Christ its like everyone is looking backward
while driving forward.

THE NEXT 24 MONTHS.