Gustgd

[bgmb]

Klause, try selling it through your local coops.

[bgmb]

Go to coop and tell them you will sell to them for 520 landed in their yard. They will sell to farmers around 550-560. Tell them you need payment by the end of feb.

Everyone wins in theory.

[bgmb]

if they wont give you the cash up front tell them you want it in your lawyers trust account to be released when the urea lands in thunderbay.

[Klause]

Fall of 2013 a guy could pre-book 280 a tonne 2800 locally.

Fall of 14 we booked it at 320.

40 bucks a tonne more yet grain prices lower.

The thing Canadian companies are counting on is that we will simply continue to play dead. Every year fall is the cheapest time to buy... and every year fall is a little more than the year before.


Did you know a tonne of 11-52 is $422 bucks? Why is it 800 here.

cheapest it ever got this fall was 715... Does that sound "cheap"?

Fall of 2013 we locked in 11 dollar canola for fall 2014 delivery and 7 dollar wheat for fall of 2014.


This year... you may get 10 and 6 for fall 15.


If we'd actually have balls for a change and say we will do all the extra work for a mere 20 dollars, things would be very different.


The other thing to note... not everyone has enough cash laying around to buy fertilizer in fall with cash. Thus... what happens when eventually interest rates go up? You want to pay 9% interest or better on inputs through the winter?


As someone mentioned last year in July it was almost impossible to get product... We were trying to source liquid for top dressing, and to fill a tank but couldn't find enough to fill the tank.

[grassfarmer]

caseih,

"I guess I just wonder why we couldn't have a check off to fund an organization solely for the benifits of farmers ? they could address markets , inputs , transportation and look after the farming industry in general"

You identify a need I think a lot in agriculture would identify with. We already have the solution though - the National Farmers Union! Before anyone gets hysterical think about it - a national organization rather than regional, represents all of agriculture from bees to beef to barley (crucial if you are to prevent government/industry conquer and divide tactics). Accepts no corporate funding, direction or influence. Is absolutely democratic - the policies pursued are those the members want. A grassroots organization not a "top down dictatorship" like so many organizations. Entirely membership funded which prevents the laziness that comes with big checkoff funded budgets. Would need large funding to operate at the level we need but I'd always prefer that was voluntary member donation - encourages accountability and performance.
The predictable response will be "but its the NFU - hahaha" to which I'd answer get involved and make it your organization reflecting your values and the goals you have for better advocacy on your behalf. These so called commodity groups that are all on the Government tit will never get you where you want to go. They are merely pimps for the corporate agenda.

[Klause]

grassfarmer, I tend to agree with you.

There's one problem... farmers will never work together.

Too shortsighted. Too hardheaded.

Just look on here how many arguments we all get into continually... unlike other industries where even though there's competition, there's an association representing everyone as a whole, agriculture is fractured and has a "them vs. me" mentality.

[Guest]

its just to bad the nfu got so politically involved with the ndp in the past . thats just my opinion , maybe i am dead wrong ? maybe they are a good place to start ? i sure am impressed with some of the noise they have been making lately while all the others sit by with their heads in the sand ! as far as political parties now , doesn't much matter, all have agendas that have nothing to do with ag .no fresh choices there, so noise is the only option we have left

[tstep]

Agree with u Krause. It's getting to be a me me industry. The NFU works for the industry and farmers have to look at the industry as a whole and not what's good for ME. The NFU is the one that is in Ottawa and trying to fight for the farmer. Some how we have to kill this Bill C18.

[Braveheart]

Killing a bill is likely harder than stopping ISIS. Is it part of an Omnibus Bill or on its' own?

It would easier to lobby for farmer friendly changes. I don't follow this, so, what needs to change? How do you decide what part of the bill REALLY needs changes, or is opposition just driven by paradigms?

[wmoebis]

I agree caseih.
I have brought up some very big issues with different boards and org's and always seems to fall on deaf ears or they seem to be more concerned with how changes etc would affect them and their bottom line.

I would like to see a farmers advocate office that was funded by farmers and could help us with issues that we face on day to day issues on grain marketing and primary delivery issues at the elevator. You are right some of the issues are national based and concern all types of ag farmers across Canada and even the USA.

We had that with Assistant commissioners but Ritz has refused to fill those chairs. I have worked with Ass't Comm"s in the past putting on farmer info sessions and they were very well attended and lots of valuable info for producers. The Compas review said that we need a farmers advocate office but Ritz has also refused to implement that.

I would rather see farmers attend courses learning grading and what to watch for at the elevator for human error, than seeing pictures out some hotel window in down town Dubai or the foyer of a meeting room in China.

Maybe the farmers that want such an office just need to apply for a check off refund and support it with that money those that don't can keep on as is.