Pros and Cons of the CWB Sale!

[jd3007]

All this is is another grain company starting up in Canada. We can't move the grain we have so I doubt adding a new player will help anything at this time. They don't have many facilities and like any new company will have growing pains. Look at what happened to places like T22, eventually Cargill took over when things went south. Bunge will do the same here when it comes time to buy the farmers shares.

[riders2010]

I think Steve guaranteed cheap grain supply in exchange for Saudi raising oil prices.
We re over there bombing in exchange for higher oil it the king said we want your cheap wheat also. In six months oil will be 150 a barrel. Wheat will be 4.00. And we ll pay higher than world price right here in canada.

[macdon02]

Unless the Sauds are gonna declare a jihad on the railways, Im not sure I can see anything good coming from this. Why not buy somebody in Ontario? I guess even with the freight we will produce for less. Im conservative, Ritz is a f#$%up. Sorry Hoback your not getting my vote this go around. I have no idea whos getting my vote but it wont be any of the big three. They all suck.

[farmaholic]

I would never defend Ritz but he is only the talking head. He is not solely responsible for these decisions... remember, he is the guy who thought ostrich farming had a future in Canada of all places. Enough said.

[grassfarmer]

SF3, you truly are clueless. To compare your "plight" during the CWB era to that of the aboriginal population is disgusting. If things were so bad how did you manage to expand to your famous 100 quarters and all the exotic holidays? Different reality to the guys on the reserve and the residential schools.
I know you revel in playing the "poor me" role but this comparison is offensive.

[Braveheart]

Grass, might be a close comparison after all. On a lot of impoverished reserves "the Chief" still takes the vacations.

[SASKFARMER3]

Grass your out to lunch. Brave that was funny ha ha

[tweety]

Many chiefs are 'worth' millions.

[parsley]

Each farmer reading this thread, sat back and watched passively, for three years, the CWB in transition.

You acted like an observers not a participant. You wanted someone else to create the new vision for you. You could have joined together, and built a CWB free and independent, with your cash and loans, and a vision, but you chose to do nothing.

I don't understand farm mentality.

You let Weyburn Terminal slide into private hands, when a group of co-operating farmers could have bought it.

I don't understand farm mentality.

Cott saw possibilities to make the CWB into an entity that was farmer run, not government run. No one stepped up to the plate. Or considered the enormous possibities.

Tthere would be NO organic industry today unless farmers themselves stood up to the plate.

DId you know that in 2014, Mike and Mike's Organics, out of Toronto, was named of the winners of the best managed companies by Deloitte/CIBC/NationalPost/ Queens School of Business//MackayCEO Forum sponsors?

They had over $10M in revenue, sustained growth, good management and EFFORTS of the entire organization.

Organics is strong because each farmer makes a common commitment.

How did a rag tag bunch of dumb-assed farmers build a thriving, growing industry without Saudi oil money? It's an important question.

Each one of you runs a million dollar business but most conventional farmers don't pocket enough of that wealth. Too many have worrisome debt. Having a vision is crucial. Sharing a vision is the secret.

I encourage you, again, to form an alliance amongst you, to first of all, design a working grain contract by your eager alliance. And divide your group into expertise groups. Transportation. Marketing. Etc. It takes work. Design two plans of where you want to go and then how you will get there.

It takes time. And money.
As long as you depend upon other people to do your planning FOR you, you will be stick with following and fulfilling their vision.

Sorry for belabouring this, but isn't it essential for profit? Isn't it time?

I realize you may be annoyed with my meddling... again. ... but I want the best for you. There is a strength in numbers, folks. ... . Parsley.

[grassfarmer]

Good post Parsley, I agree with a lot of your sentiments. For all the talk of socialists and communists relying on the Government it seems there are a lot of guys that pride themselves on being right wing that also want to rely on the Government to do everything for them.

Seems to me that for so long people have been brainwashed against co-operating with their neighbours lest it be seen as some kind of "leftist cooperative", in large part influenced by negative impressions of the CWB.
I don't understand that thinking as this country was built on farmers co-operating - and not that long ago in relative terms. It's like that has slipped from the collective memory.

Many in agriculture seem not to be business minded, or they are naive. To expect that you could just drop your grain in a big companies pit and suddenly get close to final retail price for it.

Same as the beef sector where guys want the benefits of a value chain and a bigger percentage of the consumers dollar but still want to just drop the calves off at the auction and collect this bonus without changing their ways or putting any time, effort or $ in.

With the aging demographic I think it's time we encouraged more immigrant farmers here - the ones that are prepared to relocate bring a level of drive, ambition and new ideas that are often lacking in the resident population (either here or in the immigrant's own country)