Ritz cracker has spoken

[Integrity_Farmer]

I just phoned the Pioneer elevator here and the price for number 1 RS 13.5 is $5.50 a bushel or $4.38 a bushel US.

Oh yes I can lock in feed barley for fall delivery at $2.00 a bushel or $1.59 US.

Our low prices are being masked by the low Canadian Dollar.

Last winter when wheat was $11.38 a bushel at Vancouver farmers were waiting in the line up at the local elevator to receive less than $4.00 a bushel for 1RS

These are the lowest prices farmers have received in the last 20 years and in terms of real buying power probably the lowest prices ever.

So I fully understand why farmers become ill when I tell them that the system is broken and cannot return farmers a fair price from the grain companies.

Does Bread actually farm or work out of Ritz's office?

[Braveheart]

I can't even imagine how far ahead our farm would be had we had marketing freedom in 1980 instead of waiting til now.

We just barely survived the 1.7 bus per acre quotas. It was so hand to mouth with those barely there initial prices and the never fulfilled promised final payments.

At the time the CWB even administered the cash advance program. I always wondered if there was a conflict of interest. Let's see, no cash flow because of wheat board policies so you're forced to get a cash advance from the very same wheat board?

But now, we are thriving. Yes, there is always weather and despite what SF3, Bucket and others may think, there has always been rail problems, full elevators and prices that drop because of good production worldwide. But, we have tools we never had access to before.

For one, there is a futures market we can mange price risk on. We have visible basis prices that we can lock in when it makes sense. We can find markets anywhere and not only deliver to them from our farms, but realize all the reward from that effort without surrendering a portion of that effort "for the pool".

Like every business segment, some thrive while some look for every excuse or someone to blame when things don't just fall into place.

Business is tough. Farming has a few extra challenges. I for one am glad it does. Most of us wouldn't do it if it was easy.

If the CWB came back I would consider civil disobedience, or quit farming. We would be re entering a dark time.

I believe in my myself and our ability. But, to capitalize on that belief we need the freedom to act fully in a commercial way. The CWB concept is the opposite of that.

[farmaholic]

I can tell you one thing. Things looked better financially here when we started growing more diverse crops instead of the WOB and summerfallow. Wheat is wheat and will always be wheat.... its the specialties that made the biggest difference here pre and post CWB.

[Integrity_Farmer]

fjlip How to make Vancouver efficient in moving grain
Well the grain would have to be Pooled which would be next to impossible with the current system and lack of CGC inward inspection.
There would need to be coordination of rail movement to meet sales (ocean ships) but grain companies make their own sales.

Canola was once pooled a Vancouver to improve the efficiency and car turn around time. Canola is not as complicated because it is mainly one grade.
The price we receive for canola is mainly determined by the export price at Vancouver.
Is it beneficial for the grain companies that own the crushing plants to drive up the price by more export sales?
The grain companies have a good thing going for them. Why would they change that?

[Integrity_Farmer]

Tom Your statement seems fuzzy Harper is not your friend "CNCP would put 250 lobbying centurions into Ottawa if the Ministers and PM Harper said more than this.
Not Rocket Science!

Tom you better grab a sandwich or better yet a nice steak

[Integrity_Farmer]

Braveheart
In 1984 I marketed feed Barley through the CWB an received $3.00 a bushel for it. I do not recall any quota at that time. 30 years later we are receiving about half that price.

Of course we had the CWB doing the marketing and that low freight rate called the Crow Rate.

I even had a local elevator I could haul it to and a Pool Elevator that paid me a dividend.

Marketing freedom indeed

[fjlip]

If canola WAS pooled and never under the board, how was that accomplished? Need some sort of exchange agreements for the greater good. This free for all is extremely inefficient for exports, our bottom line and Canada's reputation.
Hardly all is well, are they listening now?
Or too many RR airhorns drowning farmers out?

[Braveheart]

Integrity, had the Wheat Growers finally convinced the CWB to switch to contract calls instead of the feudal quota system by 1984? Can't recall. The WGTA had come into effect by then so you weren't under Crowsnest freight rates. They were already changing.

How are those Pool elevators doing these days? The same people and same thinking/ideologies as was supporting the monopoly. Just imagine the depression the walls of those United Church basements must have heard all those years.

But as I said, I survived. Now, we're thriving.

I would suggest everyone quit looking backwards and sideways, and start looking forward. Enjoy what you have. You're richer than you think.

[Braveheart]

Integrity, if you're only offered $1.50 per bushel for feed barley right now, you are a)full of shit, b)have REALLY poor barley c) living on the moon so freight rates are high and CP seldom sends cars there or d) are on a hunger strike and are mixed up.

[Braveheart]

The thing is, who cares what Ritz says? Change the channel. It only matters what you think. If you're not thriving, what can you do to improve your situation? If you are thriving, what next to better your performance?

Looking for Ritz, Goodale, or Easter to validate your success or failure steers you off the road to success and leaves you in a ditch of despair.

[BreadWinner]

Integrity your sounding pretty long in the tooth if you got paid dividends from your local wheat POOL. Sounds to me your not too far from the next step and it wont be a step up. Better leave the future to those that might benefit most from FREEEEEE MARKETS. WOW IT FEELS GOOD TO BE FREEEE. Its really too bad you are so ideologically brain washed you cant fathom that we are better off.

[farmaholic]

Excellent non-partisan comment Braveheart.

Take responsibility. I know we'll have to adjust to this new environment. I don't like everything about this new environment but I didn't like everything about the old one either.