Too much wheat

[farming101]

The problems that have dragged on for the past two years or so are the result of producing too much wheat and maybe in the case of the 2013 crop too much of everything. The end.

[bucket]

It's been said Canada's production in the whole scheme of things makes no difference world wide.

This is just a example of a country not planning for its full potential.

The global market would have gobbled up Canada's production had we been able to get it to port position.

Thinking otherwise justifies never getting beyond a 35 mmt export target.

[Braveheart]

Farming101, you're 100% correct.

[tweety]

So lets us as farmers use 95% of checkoff money and resources trying to figure out how to grow more.

[bucket]

Sure. Whatever happened in 1997 was nothing to learn from.

So when councils and commissions are setting higher targets for the future, you guys are going to say it's too much production as opposed to not enough transportation capacity?

Geezus! !!!!!!

[lakenheath]

Get bigger, use more fertilizer and fungicides when margins start to squeeze.....simple economies of scale.....

[bucket]

For sure - over production. Peas will be sold out by June as will red lentils.

Might not be out of canola but it will be tight by June 2016.

Over production. Where do you guys come up with this?

It's a lack of transportation.

[farming101]

The infrastructure is there but costly. TBay and the eastern ports. When the large crop was obvious there was no plan or will to bring every port and facility on line to get the grain to an exportable position. Bring the ships to the east coast. That is what it would have taken to get the grain out with what there was to work with. And at the end of the day it was impossible to move it all as farmers would have liked. The will and planning was not there.

For sure the ball was dropped. How to improve the movement of grain out of the country westward has not been successfully dealt with ever. Now, when it is needed more than ever the failure to plan is obvious. Worse yet is the fact that total use of western rail transportation is at an all time high.

World wheat carryout is growing. Western Canada cannot successfully market at good prices into that reality.

[Braveheart]

Make sure those provincial commissions focus on the overly competitive plant breeding scene, rather than promotion of prairie grains and market development. That will keep supplies nice and burdensome.

[foragefarmer]

Braveheart

Just a question, if breeding includes more disease resistance is this a bad thing?
As for market development does it not fall under the federal government? Should they not be promoting Canadian cereals and oil seeds on trade missions. CIGI does a lot of promoting of Canadian grains to other counties and they are funded by the Fed's.

[CptnObvious]

The Sask wheat commission at least has the very simple mission to maximize the return on growing wheat. By breeding, marketing, whatever.

[Braveheart]

CIGI is more of a technical center to help customers seeking milling or baking assistance.

Trade missions usually feature Ag Minister plus commodity group reps. Would you trust Gerry Ritz to do market development on his own?

Yes, disease resistance is a laudable goal. Personally, I hate using pesticides, so working towards lessening dependence on them is great. But, there is already untold dollars being invested by others, and they already have a big head start.

Farming101 has raised a very relevant point re wheat supply in Canada and worldwide. I just see our product promoted as strongly as it should be. I thought that was the commission's original mandate.