One shoe fits all

[craig]

We seem to have this mentality in western Canada that what works for one farmer in one area should work equally well for another in another area. We have such a strong focus on HRS wheat that we have lost sight that in more northerly areas maybe other crops maybe a better bread winner. This year we grew some soft white spring wheat to see how it would perform in our area( central Alberta). We had concerns about maturity and had to take a chance on mother nature because Crop Insurance will not cover it. While it is not in the bin, it is the best looking wheat crop we have ever grown on our farm in 27 years. Our expectation is over 100 bushel yield. My point. We have a crop with excellent yield potential yet soft wheats have all been but ignored in terms of breeding.THe CWB always made the point that it was a low value wheat and the numbers don't work when you produce more than domestic needs. This when we still export feed barley. We know that most soft wheats in North America are grown in eastern areas where fusarium is an issue. It would seem that there is good potential in the higher moisture areas of Alberta for softs whether spring or winter. Problem is we are well behind in terms of breeding efforts.

[TOM4CWB]

Good point Craig,
plant breeding is a focus we must put more emphesis on to. Back in June I attended the malt barley symposium in Winnipeg. Breeders like Rosneglel (sorry spelling) clearly indicated that unless we change the regulatory environment around how new traits and varieties are approved we won't keep up, as we are far behind now, to the rest of the world.
We must move now to eliminate KVD, allow closed loop production of varieties that are destine for ethanol production, or oil production and not for human consumption. As stewards of the land we know what we can do and you proved that Craig with soft white.
Yet you may tread on sensitive toes here, the soft wheat producers in southern AB have had a love in with the CWB for a long time, almost their own little monopoly going on, now as you are proving other areas can grow it, what might happen?
Erik

[craig]

erik
Soft white wheat commission is actually promoting production in other areas. Like everyone they are looking at the potential for ethanol. They may not feel a large threat to their traditional CWB market as only time will tell if more northern areas can produce quality. For ethanol that is less of an issue. More production and more commission revenue will hopefully mean more money to invest in breeding. Interesting note and that is that KVD will be less of an issue with soft white wheats than hard reds. See good potental in Soft white winters and have heard there is good breeding material in pipeline now .

[TOM4CWB]

Craig,

With the new reading of the CWB Act, a new class of wheat (Soft white winter)to be added should have to be by plebicite and an order in council/legislation to add it to the CWB monopoly. If the CWB doesn't market it, it should have no authority over it!

[chaffmeister]

Some relevant questions regarding the CWB sales early in the year:

1......When exactly were these "early" sales made?
2......How much does the CWB usually sell that early? Was this amount (reportedly 700,000 t) unusually large? (I'm told it was unprecedented.)
3......Who did they sell to? (Reportedly to the domestic maltsters. If so, this represents over half their annual needs. Also, its appearing that these sales were not just for the domestic brewers as many had thought earlier, but for offshore sales of malt as well.)
4......If - as it seems to be - these were unusually large volumes to sell that early and to offshore interests (which are usually left till later when the crop is "known") the big question is <b>WHY?</b>

Why did the CWB act so unusually different (in a marketing sense) last fall?

You'll note that not one question is about price. Price is not the issue. From where I sit, the questions would still need to be asked even if the prices It seems to me that if the CWB acted "normally" - as it has every other year before this one, they would not have sold this much this early and wouldn't be snookered like they are right now.

So, WHY? Why did the CWB step out of its routine selling pattern? Was it political? Was it strategic relative to the government's actions? What was it?

Stewart Wells says that Anderson had an "unspoken theme" in his letter that "farmers/CWB should not have sold any barley "early last year"". From where I sit, Anderson's view is terribly valid - especially when you consider the unusual approach of the CWB.

If it was based on anything but sound marketing, heads should roll. And I don't mean Bob Cuthbert (the barley salesman, who I figure was just doing what he was told to do) - I'm thinking more like senior management and the BOD.