Whats the problem?

[bucket]

One important change that could be implemented would be to apply the discounts or premiums at the time of contract signing.

It's obvious now that our customers will still take lower quality durum and pay more for it.

Durum is ****ed because it's not on a futures exchange or market. It's a specialty crop.

[highwayman]

Not directed at you Farmaholic or anyone in particular. I just think we all need to exercise a little patience in regards to this transition. It seems that our frustrations with this process have been compounded with the quality issues experienced this year and understandably so. Unfortunately, the intervention of political ideology would have severely obstructed the slow/methodical approach that you mention, as we have been witness to in the past. I agree we are now all individually responsible for are own success or failure and personally wouldn't want it any other way.

[sumdumguy]

Integrity, with all due respect, I believe there is a place for CWB, that is not the issue. The problem with old CWB was that they stubbornly refused to change with the times. I believe that with good management, a solid customer base and foresight, they can continue to be a viable entity with enviable future.

I hope government gives it a chance. Farmers would be better off with a stable competitor.

[foragefarmer]

Haywayman

Exercise a little patience?

I am running a business here with bills to pay. Last winter I was waiting for cars to show up to full fill my contracts. Do the grain companies and railroad shareholders wait for their dividends? Here we are as farmers having no control of how our products get to the buyers of the world as there are two other players in between us and them.We export 80% of what we grow.

As for the quality issues this year do you think the grain companies are buying all this so call feed wheat and shipping it to the customers as feed. Who's making all the money? Do you think they are worried about Joe Farmer making a fair profit? Do you honesty think that by being patience that things are going to change? You go ahead and be patient.

[highwayman]

Forgfarmer, we have been patient and were rewarded as a result when we chose not to dump our durum production into last years dismal pricing and pathetic rail movement. Instead we moved commodities that generated a positive return and cash flow while storing the rest. We also were waiting for cars that never arrived but were able to work with the grain company to make alternative arrangements to move the commodity by truck at their expense. I don't regard the grain companies we deal with as the evil enemy, if I don't like their bid I don't sell. Not arguing the fact that rail service needs a major overhaul but obviously the problem didn't suddenly appear with the removal of the single desk. I hope greater scrutiny of the rail carriers will be an integral part of the transition process whatever that may involve. As far as ,"fair profit", what does that mean to each individual, "Joe Farmer" and how would a grain company possibly know this. Positive margins would equate quite differently from farm to farm I would suspect.

[sumdumguy]

When we had the CWB, special crops were the bottom of the totem pole when it came to car allocation. Think those "good guys" at the CWB gave a whif about small processors? Or farmers that needed a revenue stream to make their farm payments? Just saying.

Just as aside Foragefarmer, do you remember the 4 bushel quota at $5/ bushel - want that back? Guess land would still be $125 bucks an acre.

[parsley]

Integrity: Organic farmers no longer have to do buybacks. Nor supply the CWB with the names of our buyers. Not have to come up with cash to sell our grain. Nor deal with the paperwork at the border to prove we own out bought-back grain.

You really don't think organic farmers would go backwards to install another govt mandated regime, do you?

Freedom is good. pars.

[foragefarmer]

Sumdunguy

Not sure what your talking about. But hey, I'll tackle it anyways.

How far back in time are you going when land prices were $125.00 an acre. I didn't know the CWB was responsible for dictating land prices. Are you going back to the 1970's? I do recall that land prices exploded in the 1970's and then came back down in the 1980's. They then started to increase again in the 1990's till now.



I don't think the CWB controlled land prices at anytime in it's history. They did market your wheat, but wheat is not the only commodity that dictates land prices, not to mention all other factors with regard to land prices increasing.

Like said I wasn't sure what you were getting at but I took a stab at it.

[blackpowder]

Well, I think Intestinal Farmer got his intended result.