Monday Time to Blitz the Phones!

[SASKFARMER3]

Seems only way anything gets done in this country is to bug bug and bug some more.
Well Monday is a great day to phone your MP. Let them know how well Your grain is moving in this country and how well the grain companies are dealing with contracts. Quit sugar coating how it is in your area. Tell them the truth. Farmers who are liquidating Canola for Below 10 just to raise cash let them know.
Farmers who are selling feed wheat that is really a two or three just to raise cash let them know. Farmers who have oats contracts or barley that aren't moving let them know.
Just listened to question period in Ottawa for the week and wow. Measures we have put in place are working and grain is moving in a decent manner.
WTF, who is writing this shit.
Its simple Google your MP, Bingo their is their phone number, now start with local office or why not go right to Ottawa.
Why wait Ottawa opens up with time change at 6Am Sask time.
Like they say in Saskatchewan this weekend.

RING THOSE PHONES! RING THOSE PHONES!

Also get off your wallet and Ring those phones for Telemiracle. Its a great cause!

[wmoebis]

Seems more to me phones fall on deaf ears. Media is the only way to get stories uncovered and things done.
Maybe time for Marketplace, W5 or 16x9 to do some stories on farmers, Gov't agencies, grain handling and Rail systems.
Might be a bigger story than anyone thinks/maybe not!

[bucket]

But where are our farm group that are supposedly representing us?

[SASKFARMER3]

Phone anyone who will listen. This year we produced a smaller crop than last years crop. But yet problems getting it moved. Ah was the winter worst on record. Answer is No. Because some areas have no snow the areas that do its way less than other years. MT have less. But was it really bone chilling cold. Yes down in Quebec and eastern Canada. Ah that doesn't effect us.
Again phone phone and phone some more.

[tweety]

What would you like us to say is the solution?

[SASKFARMER3]

Well tweety this year every thing in the world worked for you and that's great. Count your lucky stars because as a farmer who has seen a few seasons come and go. Just when you think every thing is running on all cylinders something happens and you have to adjust. Some times you have to throw the motor out and rebuild some times you have to start with a brand new motor. But one thing is for sure if you sit beside your vehicle and wish it would start, your going to be beside the road for a very long lonely time.
Enjoy but talk to people who have or are having issues with movement or anything related to farming. Im sure they will explain how things are going.

[Braveheart]

Tweety wasn't being snarky. He asked the legitimate question. What is the solution?

[bucket]

Solutions

1. Mandatory reporting. One accurate report.

2. Threaten open running rights.

3. If 2 doesn't work threaten nationalizing.

4. Build another railway.

5. Build government storage.

[farmaholic]

wmoebis, is an hour really long enough?

[wmoebis]

LOL Your thinking a reality series! Only in Ag wouldn't need to be scripted.

[rockpile]

Tweety, this has been an ongoing issue for decades and is not just a problem for grain but for all industries and businesses that rely on rail to move product in or out. Rail in a country as big and diverse as Canada is an essential service. So given that the railways are privatized, there are three things that should balance out the privilege they have been granted. 1. Given that our railroad industry offers very little competition to captive shippers, then a very fair, transparent and effective set of mechanisms need to be set in place where shippers can seek compensation when performance of service does not adequately occur when external factors like weather are not involved. 2. A set of guiding principles and performance expectations to balance the disproportional power the railroads have amassed over the decades that will become their 'mission statements'. 3. A national transportation policy that reflects the unique nature of both the size and geographical challenges Canadians deal with and the very fact that the 'national dream' was financed and undertaken by a 'ribbon of steel'. And to this day, the railroads, like it or not, are an essential service to sustain our economy.
And keep in mind, most of the plant these guys make their profits off of were either afforded by or paid for by Canadians and the Canadian Government.

[farmaholic]

If they can't be "trusted" to provide adequate service nationalize them. If you lived in northern Saskatchewan, would you have any cell service, or general utilities if it weren't for crown providers? And if there weren't crown services and you were lucky enough to have an alternative provider, you likely couldn't afford them.

The line has been crossed. As we all said before, they are stymying growth. Wait for the extra traffic from potash. A smaller crop will only mask the problems and fix nothing. Maybe all the "shippers"(RR's customers) need to join forces and present a united front so no single industry gets singled out
and punished.

Farming 101, you're a numbers/chart person. Plot the increase in production dating back to half and half farming to full fledged continuous cropping. Imagine the increase in production from both more acres and more production from each acre.

All the extra increased traffic from other industries. What has been done to accommodate it?

They can't be trusted to do what's best for Canada.

Maybe then the MULTI BILLILNAIRES can build a railway to compete with the one they once owned that got nationalized. B s a ds....

[tweety]

Rockpile, wasn't that pretty much all tried with the last CTA review? While the independent review panel agreed with all the proposals of CRS, it has been beyond more then impossible to get any into legislation or action battling against the 150 CN/CP lawyers living on the hill.

What can be done more specifically and more effectively today then that?

Saskfarmer3, you never seem to disappoint.

[rockpile]

Yup, I'm regurgitating what we put forward at the last review. After my presentation, Feeny from CN came over to me at break time and called me a communist and then threatened me by saying "that hell, they could confiscate my farm if they wanted to" to which I replied "Well, I guess that makes you the Communist, Comrade Stalin". He turned red and I thought his blood vessels on his forehead were going to explode! But I stand by what I stated, and no, there are no quick fixes. We need systemic change and a national transportation policy.

[tweety]

Absolutely, but what do we as farmers do?