Canada won’t tell railways where to ship grain for now

[BFW]

You could do it I guess but the combines will be sitting while waiting for trucks. If you want to do that I would be happy to buy some off of you at harvest but you might not like the basis. Build bins and deliver when the market is calling for it even if it cuts into holiday time a bit.

[BFW]

And I am hardly new on here SaskFarmer. Been around as long or longer than you, just not quite so..... animated???

[SASKFARMER3]

Wow Bfw you have no clue. Combines will be sitting waiting for trucks. Ah no combines will be rolling filling bins that trucks can empty and send to you. You must be a grain buyer in alberta by sounds of your post. Al is ok in rose colored alberta. Just like your budget.
But see Bfw we have contracts for fall every year ah one step ahead of you. Book delivery when month and basis work. But then you deliver oh say 40000 off combine and you get the call can't haul this week no cars. So you bin then next week your told can't deliver were short cars or they didn't arrive. Then it's October and your behind on sept. This shit continues and now it's november. So you take contracts for the rest of your grain since you know volume you have and grade. Yes planning around xmas and spring breaks. But then you hire guys to deliver your grain if your gone.
Grain isn't moving like you think. Crushers aren't even reliable.

[SASKFARMER3]

Bf I'm animated no I'm a realist all is not well in FarmVille. Some politicians will see soon what 8 mean. Shipping is a shit show but yet some think it's all the farmers fault. Really. Trucks ready all the time cold or hot or muddy. One week pint in the wheel it's grain companies and rail service.
Yes I enjoy my holidays, but if for one moment you think grain can't be delivered when I'm not home your dreaming.
It's planning but can't figure out how to get ahead with shitty rail service. The Alberta angle maybe makes for interesting times.
Plug you guys solid.

[BFW]

I am really not looking to argue with you SF3. You are correct in your assessment, all the elevators you talk about are in spitting distance of my family's farm. These elevators were built here because they are in the most efficient spot in the prairies to assemble large quantities of grain and deliver it to the Vancouver. These elevators are already lined up with trucks from all over delivering grain so feel free to get in line. I don't think the treatment here will be much better though with a shorter turn around time to port the opportunity to deliver is greater. Having said that we deliver little or no grain during harvest unless thee is a real demand for it. We have built bins to store a crop and more. Farms that have good storage and that can take advantage of market opportunities by investing in storage will be the winners

[furrowtickler]

One can have 3 years worth of storage - it don't help when you can't deliver on contracts . Cash flow becomes a problem when you can't deliver grain for cash .

[BFW]

Absolutely right and companies not honoring terms of contracts should be punished, the farmer definitely would be in the reverse. As for cash market for grain, never had that problem here in Southern Alberta. Might not like the price but can always sell some grain for cash, feed anyways

[furrowtickler]

That's not an option for many more than you may think.
I agree on some sort of punishment , I believe it should be gaurenteed delivery by contract date or payment enforced by law . Somebody has to take fukin responsibility . Most farmers are foreward contracting , and have been for years , to manage cash flow - that's being tossed in the trash and no one is responsible whatsoever, leaving the farmer fuked. This reminds me so much of dealing with pulse buyers from years gone by - it was terrible to try to manage cash flow with pulses at times.

[poorboy]

Is it the railways not providing cars to Eastern parts, or is it the Grain Companies that are making the railways spot cars at the closest points so as to get their ships loaded and reduce demurge costs.

I think grain companies are purposely ordering cars into points that can get to the coast quicker, AND THEN BLAMING THE RAILWAYS. It is grain companies that are gouging the farmers, not the railways. There is no real open communication between farmers and railways, so they are easy to blame. We should really have someone enforcing basis levels. These elevators are purposely signing contracts, even though they know they will not be taking the grain on time. The more backed up they make it, the more they can widen out basis.

As has been said on here by others, if there was a performance clause in grain contracts where they had to pay farmers for extra late deliveries, they wouldn't over commit on contracts and basis levels would have to become more current. And yes there may be periods of the year you wont be able to sell grain.

[farmaholic]

Exactly poorboy, you made my point (finger pointing).

Politics aside...

[SASKFARMER3]

BF you don't think our high through put elevators are assembled to move grain fast like yours in Alberta. I have 7 within 10 min to a hour by semi.
Bins that have grain ready to go when cars arrive.
You said your family farm is close to the elevators I talk about in alberta delivering to. So my comment is don't short one area when the shit show starts to unravel.

[riders2010]

Get rid of basis levels. Charge elevation and freight but not charge us because you don t want it because the railways won t take it? What a fm joke basis has become a money making scheme and an excuse for grain cos not to go after rail.

[westernvicki]

You need simply: regulation that allows reciprocal penalties for failure to serve.

You need an instituted process of monitoring service, First and foremost; revert to above.

This would need regulation which was asked for and failed to institute.

As for value add, how can you value add in this country if you cannot reach export markets and ship at any reasonable level of proficiency.

Ain't gonna happen.... unless this government does more with the CTA than make another study to gather dust.

What are the odds?

[westernvicki]

Just in case someone is still reading: the service level agreements WITH TEETH were dropped form the legislation in 2012, had they been granted would have impacted the service levels received in 2013, and certainly today.

The government knows what they have to do: will they do it?

[sawfly]

failure to serve regulations

that is interfering in the free market.

not from this govt.
I have faith the market will sort this out.
because i am a market girl.

god help us
and i thought Ritz was bad