http://www.grainmonitor.ca

[tweety]

Once again, what's the solution? Problem has been well identified.

[TOM4CWB]

Bucket,

One error in your logic remains...

Two wrongs do not make a right... if supporting the international community is actually 'wrong' in the wider sense.

We need true market pull... pushing a string does not work well in the long term... and you must admit governments should only be involved in the economy to set fair and decent ground rules... as we know how politics is fickle and much too often is not the best driver when motivated by popular opinion!

As with Justin T... who tends 'doesn't stand for anything... but has shown will fall for everything else'! Having a back bone and standing on sound principals... gets folks yelled at... but the underlying principals are actually sound even though public opinion may not agree at the moment.

We do live in interesting times... the Middle east is in a real mess... Of this there can be no question! Doing nothing when the pot is boiling over... is unlikely to stop this cauldron from spilling over on the rest of the planet!

Cheers!

[wmoebis]

The solution is to divert a big portion of farmer check off funds to support a Farmers Advocate Office, like the Compass review suggested and Gov't ignored. In the interest of producers.
Give them all the power of the old Ass't Commissioners Office and more to catch up with changes that have come about and include the transportation issue.

Give the industry back to farmers rather than viewing them as a supplier to the industry.

[bucket]

Tweety

Level of service agreements - are they done with well defined consequences.

The government won't impose a deadline for those to be implemented and I think graincos are hesitant to do them - it puts them in an accountable position as well.

[bucket]

Tom

If anyone was serious about stopping the middle east shit the would ban arms trading in that area.

Do you think those guns and arms fall from the sky? And if they do who do you think is flying the plane?

Leaders want this nonsense to continue.

I doubt an average person could afford the wespobs they are blowing shit up with over there.

This is one big game and I think making stuff work at home is more important.

[TOM4CWB]

Bucket
The politics of this situation cannot be denied.

A rational reasoned person should be afraid of what is happening in the middle east!

[bucket]

Why?

It's been going on for generations. Just because they are allowed to report on it now, doesn't mean those in power couldn't stop it.

Stop selling or giving arms to them would be a start.

[stonepicker]

Hey sask 3, there's that positive attitude of yours again, so reports 30-35 days old on the state of the system are useless? I thought that's how any company measured progress ( by looking at past performance ) But thanks for your 2-3 month old report on your Jan. contract anyways. It was really helpful.

[katoe]

There will be 30 additional backbenchers after the next election. 30 new bobbleheads with pensions etc.

[foragefarmer]

Tom4CWB

The USA created this mess when they went into Iraq in 2003. Did it solve any problems then? The only way this can be solved is the Middle Eastern counties themselves, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi's etc etc. The West will never do it.

By you making the assumpation that Harper is showing leadership in the matter is just what Harper wants from his loyal followers. Tom, Harper ratchets it up and you continue to send in the cheques.

Tom, I thought you were a a believer of God (God Bless ending posts)? Wouldn't a fight for peace rather than war be a solution.

[sawfly]

cncp will never agree to level of service agreements.
( that's why they will fight the fine)
(they do not want to set a precedent)
why would they ?
they have all the cards.

i would like to hear Toms solution here.

and ask him if, it is the same as his party's
solution. which is "the market will sort it out".

sorry the market is not going to
sort it out. ( at least not in a way short of pure extortion)

farmers and other shippers are the only ones that want it sorted out.

the talk of joint running rights is a pipe dream.
the rail roads and the rail beds are now private property.

in the old days the threat of nationalization was there if the RRs got too far out of line. and we had CN aswell.

Brain Mulroney removed that threat in the FTA.
i would guess, Any action by the govt. to impose
joint running ,would make the govt. liable for an unlimited compensation figure.

CN sold off . another brilliant move .
our options are pretty limited.
you are not going to build another RR
1. cost, 2.and govt . involvement may breach the FTA.
3.even if we built it
the other rr.s could compete it into bankruptcy. and buy it back for 5 cents on the dollar .
then back to the same game.

I think the only hope is that the federal govt. do everything in its power to make the rail roads life miserable.
( what else is there)
short of nationalization and joint running rights. which would bankrupt the govt.

we can bitch and complain til the cows come home.
it won't do any good.
the gov. does not listen
the RRs know we have no options.

a dam good lesson in un regulated capitolism.

[TOM4CWB]

Sawfly,

I hope suggestions I have... that Shippers and other grain growers have... will allow us all to work together and build a better Canada!

This ends up to be a moral issue... not about free enterprise nor survival of the fittest nor the strongest DNA surviving.

This is truly about finding a fair and reasonable balance... which is to be judged How?

What is 'Good' and what is 'Bad'.

The common law... has primarily been the just balance and ruled with fairness....and created prosperity in our civil society...

Primary values creating the balance for both side to fairly judge:
1. Do unto others as you would have done unto you,
And the Negative Golden Rule, which states;
Do not do unto others as you would not have others do unto you;
2. The two fundamental principles of common law:
*Do not infringe upon the Rights, Freedoms or Property of others, and
*Keep all contracts willingly, knowingly and intentionally.
3. These maxims in common law which include:
a) That for every wrong there is a remedy,
b) The end does not justify the means,
c) Fundamental principals cannot be set aside to meet the demands of convenience or to prevent apparent hardship in a particular case,
d) Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law,
e) Two wrongs do not make a right, and
f) One can enlarge the rights of the people; however they cannot be taken away without their informed consent.

Clearly the CNCP folks have justified... in the name of profit and their own shareholder value... the taking of western Canadian grain growers income producing capacity... and devalued our property to gain on their own balance sheets.

Since my court case clearly shows the above principals that are needed to create the needed balance... will not be applied by Canadian Courts:

Now the Governments both provincial and federal are responsible as Agriculture is shared constitutional Jurisdiction.

First) The standard of equitable balance... and measurement principals to create this balance must be agreed to by both sides of the disputed issues. In this case the lack of timely grain transport services by rail to export position needs to be rebalanced.

PM Harper has indicated there is a clear inequity in our balance of Railway market power that has resulted in hardship for grain growers and our western Canadian Economy generally.

I hope to speak with the Honourable David Emerson who is responsible to recommend what the corrected balance is best moving forward. It took 125 years for this situation to occur... it will not be resolved without serious consultations and worthy consideration of all the facts. We are half the way through this process... and it is only fair to finish the process before judging the outcome.

Clearly we have better grain shipment measurements and reports than existed previously. They are not perfect granted. One short crop will change the balance of transport services...of this there is no question.

Fairness: CP knew there was a huge crop in the fall of 2013... yet cut the capacity of the rolling fleet and cancelled new equipment that would have improved grain service logistics...in hind site. What has happened since? I have not found an easy answer to update upgrades and equipment renewal and expansion to meet rising freight volume requirements.

BNSF being private... had problems in the winter/spring of 2014; however has overcome the shortfall in service by increasing equipment, workers... and build better rail systems.

A complex situation... which depending on the judges position and view of the actors involved... could result in very different conclusions.

Our farm will decrease the need for rail service... provide more grain to processing facilities... and grow less wheat for export in 2015-16.

A logical response many grain growers are likely to choose.

[foragefarmer]

Tom4cwb suggests farmers seed less wheat acres.

So marketing freedom has led to producers seeding less wheat acres. Tom wasn't that an argument being made when the CWB had the monopoly that it was holding back the increase in wheat production. Round round we go.

As for your beloved Harper doing anything about the RR's, your dreaming. He's to busy fighting in the Middle East.

[sawfly]

give tom an IV , he is now delusional.

what ever that answer was.

some kind of mix of commandments.
and a wishful fairyland with god king Harper coming to save the farmer.
and then not growing wheat because it cost too much and will never get to port.

what he is getting at, i think is that

with the new seed laws.
we could just sell each other Certified seed for lots of money and never have to ship a thing to port.

[TOM4CWB]

Forage,

In your simple world... what growing wheat is the purpose of western Canadian farms?

I doubt this is true of your farm... so why should it be the case for our families farm?

There are new varieties of wheat coming in the future... that we need to clean our land up for... which means in prep for new wheat seeds... purity can be better assured by growing less older varieties now. Fusarium can be reduced by extending the wheat and barley rotation out.

Canola marketers around this area have not been this aggressive in a long time... to get acres in the ground! Pulses are the same!

We live in exciting fun times! I don't need to choose to supply more money to CNCP.