Selling to the US without the CWB

[parsley]

thalpenny,

Before we get off track, would you please answer my question:

Does the 14(b)requirement, which is the pecuniary benefit phrase, lie in the Licensing Part IV or in the Marketing Part III?

Parsley

[parsley]

ianben,

I wanted to reply to some of your comments. As it turns out, I'm not one of the farmers who went across the U.S. border, but I do have tremendous respect for what they did and what they are doing, and I want to do everything that I can to help them.

Ghandi was a similar type of protester. The British set up a salt tariff at the ocean front and the Indians, who really needed salt to preserve their food, were required to pay a levy on the salt they got from the ocean... to the British! The group of British schemers thought it was a wonderful idea. Ghandi didn't, so he protested by not paying the tax, and running the ocean border. He got jailed. He did it again with more brave souls. They got jailed. It took over 400,000 Indians running the salt border before the British simply packed up their tariff tent, and declared, "No more tax".

Of course, that particular lot of British monopolists are not any more representative of the British people, than the Wheat Board levying monopolists are representative of Canadians.

Unfortunately, every nation has a group like them, but they mostly get ignored until they become so out of control, and so arrogant, and so demanding, that they get dumped.

I want all farmers to do well, because I respect all of them immensely. In every country. In Canada, farmers provide 400,00 jobs in primary production. 8.5% of Canada's GDP. $24 billion in exports. 1.2 million dairy cows. 15 million beef cattle and calves. 24 million laying hens producing. 6.5 billion eggs. 12 million swine. England is the same. Farmers create wealth. And every bloody one of them deserves to put some of the wealth they create into their pockets. You are one of those fellow farmers in another country, ianben, and just by your writng, I'll bet that there isn't any one of us on Agri-ville who doesn't feel as if we couldn't e-mail you and say, "Hi ianben, I'm Parsley and I'm coming to England, can I look you up? You might get a little surprise, but that's the bond farmers have, and will continue to enjoy even if they disagree on what church to attend, or what school to attend, or what woman to marry, or what marketing system to use. Farmers like talking about farming.

At Christmas time, we will celebrate thirty five years of marriage and we have lived all of them on this farm. Farm life is a good life, but it bears protecting from predators. When you are snozzing, another tax goes on the land. Or more school tax. Or higher fuel tax. Or another regulation. Or another expert goes on the payroll that you are picking up the tab for. It will happen if you snooze. When it comes to the Wheat Board, a lot of us are wide awake, but the nightmares will return as long as the CWB operates as it does.

Cheers, ianben,
Parsley

[ianben]

Hi Parsly
Yeah. I would be pleased to meet up with any agri-viller who was over here. In fact I would be disappointed if they did not give me a call.
I was married 30yrs last July and farmed all my working life. Farming has been good to me and I still love what I do.
Things are changing now though, as I am sure they always will.

Some people see change as bad, I see it as a way to make things better.

There are ways to change things which make things better for everyone.
Farmers could change the way we market and treat our customers which would be better for us both.

These are the changes we should go for in my opinion

[eatmorewheat]

Cdn millers pay a premium for cwb wheat.

We are overpaying and the oppressed western farmer is getting under paid.

visit www.hayhoe.com for current cwb prices eastern millers pay

Real simple economics--- overcharge your captive market and discount the rest. End result, captive market only takes 15% of average crop soooo the other 85% draaaaaaags down your final return.

Break free the western farmer and pasta, bagels, frozen dough leaves the prairies NOT RAW wheat. This is how you combat US farm bill an EU CAP. Think harder than your competitor and you beat him.

Ontario now about to begin to set up cookietown.

Free wheat in the west.

[Vader]

Eatmorewheat,

Obviously you haven't heard about the US challenge to imorts of Canadian bread and other baked goods from Canada, similar to the challenges to wheat imports.

US Millers have excess milling capacity that is currently not utilized which is greater than the total milling capacity in Canada. In other words if Canada's milling industry could be shut down then American mills could run at capacity and supply all of Canada's requirements.

[TOM4CWB]

Vader;

Ever heard the story about the CWB Monopoly being a hoax?

If the CWB had been following the CWB Act, over the past 10 years, think how much money farmers in the "designated area" would have saved on trade challenge defence funding, CWB funding to prop up the magicians monopoly that appears out of nowhere and yet creates endless strife and problems for everyone...

When are we going to respect each others property, and allow our neighbour to operate his farm, as this neighbour chooses...

Vader, are you doing your part to create a free and democratic society, or are you finding it is much easier to... to ignore personal responsibility.. to fight for a free and democtatic society that respects all citizens of Canada.

Will the CWB monopoly survive, without marketing choice, or do you believe the CWB should be dismantled if marketing choice is offered to "designated area" producers?

[Vader]

In regard to trade challenge defence spending. One lawyer said in regard to the current challenge that this challenge would arise with or without the CWB. They are challenging all things Canadian.

Do you blame them. They produce twice as much wheat as they consume and they accounted for 26% of world trade in wheat last year. When we make a sale to a miller in the USA for 10,000 bushels of wheat, that sale displaces 10,000 bushels of American farmers wheat into world markets that simply do not have the same premiums as the domestic sale would have earned for the American farmer. Of course he is going to complain to his congressman just before the election and get them firing off trade challenges against Canadian wheat. This may go on for years and years.

Defending this challenge will cost millions of dollars. Should we defend at all or should we allow the US to put a 44% tariff on wheat and simply walk away from one of our most lucrative markets?

I believe that we live in a free and democratic society, perhaps more so than the the USA considering how they honor their free trade agreement. Is this simply a question of principals or is this a question of economics.

Farmers are going broke. Will earning less money for Canadian wheat to satisfy some percieved injustice solve the problem or make it worse. If we all agree to compete with each other for world markets we can do that. The framework is in place for that to happen. You simply have to prove that it is a majority decision. And to do that you simply have to prove that you have a better mouse trap. Farmers that are going broke probably don't care about your principals. They may not even respect you if you cause them to lose revenues.

[TOM4CWB]

Vader;

You stated, "One lawyer said in regard to the current challenge that this challenge would arise with or without the CWB"...

I thought that you knew enough about Lawyers by now, that you would have understood that they will do anything to convince you that they are worth a handsome ransom, and no-one can survive without their help!

Canadian beans go into the US market, Cannary Seed, Canola Oil, Canola Meal, Flax, an endless stream of Autos, Aircraft, Hydro, Oil, Natural Gas, Steel products, Vader many industries have learnt to get along with the US.

I agree with the US on the CWB monopoly.

Why?

Cause when it suites the CWB, it does undercut the US Market.

I know, I got the CWB US subsidy check, and you know I got that check.

I have heard every argument in the book about the US, from the US being the culprits that lower international wheat prices, to the US being the premium market of the world... all in the same situation... and practical experience proved that The CWB premise that it holds up world prices is flawed… The opposite is unfortunately the truth.

It is altogether obvious that too many farmers at the CWB are too busy telling their neighbour how they should be running their farm...

Too many directors that have no real commercial interest in what decisions they make... to the point where CWB Directors are not allowed to use any PPO contracts. How Absurd.

Vader, if the CWB had known what was the prudent thing to do in marketing this summer...,

the CWB would not have been saying silly things like...

" The CWB has not sold this year's entire crop at last year's Prices. " (Update from the CWB with my long overdue 2001-02 cheque)

The CWB didn't have any wheat to sell till the first wheat was delivered August 1st, and the CWB had no business pricing any pooled wheat until that wheat was in store and available for the CWB to price.

This is the point of pooling to begin with!
Since weather is the primary driver that creates supply, which in turn determines price...

It is obvious to any really experienced marketer that grain prices are not predictable... they are a result of chaotic environmental and political events.

Now Vader, who should be responsible for making the decision about the profitability of my farm...

A CWB salesperson in Winnipeg, that almost never will talk to me, and who despises ... my very existence...

Or my business partners and myself who must pay the bills and provide the resources for many families so they can put food on the table and have a roof over their heads?

Think for a second Vader, what would be respectful and fair to my farm?

And is this not exactly what the US has been saying for the last 10 years?

[eatmorewheat]

Vader:

You are correct about US possible action on baked goods; however, CDN milling industry is already 65% US owned [ADM and Multifoods]. So no need to "shutdown" Canada's mills to fill vacant US capacity, US already contols CDN milling industry. On the contrary, some CDN mills are very well positioned to service north american markets. Open market in western Canada will bring more milling capacity to the prairies. Even if that means shutting more US capacity. Flour is cheap. Freight and wheat costs are critical to milling economics.

[eatmorewheat]

Vader:

You are correct about US possible action on baked goods; however, CDN milling industry is already 65% US owned [ADM and Multifoods]. So no need to "shutdown" Canada's mills to fill vacant US capacity, US already contols CDN milling industry. On the contrary, some CDN mills are very well positioned to service north american markets. Open market in western Canada will bring more milling capacity to the prairies. Even if that means shutting more US capacity. Flour is cheap. Freight and wheat costs are critical to milling economics.