We Need to Withhold our Barley from the Market

[AdamSmith]

This is how I look at it, if all farmers who are mad as hell like me with this court decision and the fact that the cwb still has sole control of malt and all barley exports, REFUSE, and I do mean REFUSE to deal with the cwb with barley and maybe even go so far as REFUSE to sell for feed domestically , we might make a difference.

Bitching gets us nowhere. Take matters into your own hands and refuse to submit a sample for malt, refuse to deal with the board under any circumstance, I'm even considering storing the grain for a year, I definitely won't sell to the cwb, and I'm even considering holding it off the feed market.

My actions alone won't change much, but if ALL barley growers refused to sell barley, any barley. We could force the change. Of course we would all have to be prepared to forgo the immediate cash flow that would come from selling our barley in the short run. But it would be worth it at the end of the day.

We would be saying to the cwb, the liberals, and all of Canada, that WE control our property, NOT the CWB.

[Lifer]

Now your talking about something we can do.

Can we do the same thing with wheat? I signed a snowbird wheat contract with the CWB and the grain co. I don't see any outs.

I need to make a decision on planting winter wheat soon. It has been part of our farm's plan. Will there be enough opportunity next year for wheat.

I don't see the opportunity from the way the CWB prices grain. Adjustment factors, Basis that use phantom calculations.

December 2008 kansas city at 5.77 per bushel will give me what price in canada net year. Is there going to be a -$19.12 per tonne or a $20.97 per tonne basis next year.

Once the crop has been planted I have used a decision I can make. CWB has communicated clearly that they do not care about individual farms. It is about the collective. Are you willing to participate in that reality? That is a choice that you and I have.

[wilagro]

Now you're talking...PLEASE withhold your barley from the market. Should make room for those who want to sell.

While your at it, why not withhold all of your production for the next two or three years. Nobody will miss it, I am sure. Besides if we need some barley, we can import it from the USA just like we did with cheaper corn when we needed feed during the last drought. As far as malt barley for beer production...cheaper to just import the beer...same junk no matter where you get it from.

[wilagro]

Adam, I agree this is what we need to do to make change. Problem being not many of us can hold a 1/3 to 1/2 of production do to cash flow needs.

I think this could work, lets face it those of us who want change are the viable farms, the guys who don't want change are the Wilagros who only grow 50 acres a year of barley, so Willy sorry to dissapoint you, but the world cares more about Wal-Mart then they do about the Red Apple!!

[chaffmeister]

Adam - your idea certainly would get the CWB's attention - and the maltsters.

Since you're trying to effect change / make a point with the CWB, you could still sell into domestic feed market. Withholding export feed and malt barley would certainly make things difficult for the CWB:

- the maltsters would begin to pressure the CWB to find a way to get their needs covered.
- maltsters may import barley from the US as wilagro suggested, but the CWB can't be involved - the CWB can only "buy" from Western Canadian farmers.
- grain companies would pressure the CWB to get export feed sales covered.
- both feed and malt pools would be very small, making interest allocation a real problem for the CWB

From where I sit the quality of the crop appears to be dropping as well, making it even tougher for the maltsters to find the barley they want.

On the feed side, we need to know what the CWB is going to offer. I'm hearing that there may be a separate pool for the business done by the grain companies which would provide reasonable pricing. If it's as good as we think it could be, it might be tough to convince guys not to sell.

[Burbert]

Lets all voluntarily hold back, our barley. In other words, lets all co-operated, for a change. Although, it would probably work, it won't happen, cause farmers, basically hate one another and will do everything they can, to screw each other, ie sell behind their back, sell at a low price to hurt them cause then you could buy their land. Lets form our own marketing system, we'll call it the Comedian Wheat Hoard, that will work for sure. Nope co-operation is out of the question, NEVER happen.

[winwin]

Burpee:"cooperation will never happen"
I guess if you use force to PREVENT it,it CANT happen.
Like last week when you shut down all the great new cooperation between farmers and their customers.
Or like when you killed the Prairie pasta Coop.
Its not true cooperation you crave Its forced unionisation.
Free people work together,trade and collaborate every day.In anormal world outside the cwb ghetto,that is.

[parsley]

Good point winwin.

Burbert, your idea of co-operation is calling the police to arrest a farmer for loading up his grain and taking it to feed his cows.

That's what happened to Ray Somerville, years ago. Compliments of your very own CWB!

Somerville loaded up his wheat, grown in Sasktchewan, and hauled it in his truck to a feedlot in Alberts to feed to his own cows.

The CWB had him charged with not having ana interprovincial license, and the RCMP came and arrested him

He took his case to the supreme court and won.

Farmer-held grain is agriculture.

Parsley